Lecanora pseudojaponica Lijuan Li & Printzen, 2023

Li, Lijuan, Zhang, Yanyun & Printzen, Christian, 2023, Phylogeny, morphology and chemistry reveal two new multispored species in the Lecanora subfusca group (Lecanoraceae, Ascomycota), MycoKeys 99, pp. 25-43 : 25

Lecanora pseudojaponica Lijuan Li & Printzen sp. nov.

Fig. 4A-G

Diagnosis.

Distinguished from other species of Lecanora by the red brown apothecial discs, the 16- and 8-spored asci, an epihymenium without crystals, small crystals in the amphithecium and the presence of atranorin, zeorin and the stictic acid complex.

Type.

China, Anhui Prov.: Yuexi Co., Yangtianwo, Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve , 31°58′11″N, 116°4′10″E, alt. 1160 m, on bark, 15 Oct 2020, Yao Zongting 20200919, HMAS-L-0147402- holotype .

Description.

Thallus corticolous, continuous to rimose, thin and tightly attached to the substrate, surface pale green to dull greenish-grey, epruinose, lacking soredia, prothallus black or not visible.

Apothecia lecanorine, numerous, rounded, dispersed to aggregated, sessile to adnate, 0.3-1 mm in diameter; disc plane or moderately concave, yellowish brown to reddish-brown, weakly shiny, epruinose, margin persistent and prominent, entire, cream white or greyish-white; amphithecium with numerous algal cells, small crystals (POL+, K-insol, N-sol); cortex indistinct, interspersed with fine crystals (POL+, K-sol, N-insol); parathecium colourless, 15-20 µm thick, without crystals (POL-); epihymenium without crystals (POL-), with orangish-brown to deep brown amorphous pigmentation, 10-20 µm high, not altered by K (sometimes becoming slightly more dark brown), orange intensifying in N, occasionally topped by a layer of hyaline gel ca. 5 µm thick; hymenium colourless, 60-100 µm high; paraphyses with few anastomoses, weakly branched, ca. 1.5 µm thick, tips expanded to 4 µm with an orangish-brown cap; hypothecium colourless, composed of anastomosing hyphae; asci clavate to narrowly clavate, Lecanora -type, 50-65 × 20-25 µm, 8- and 16-spored; ascospores simple, hyaline, ellipsoid to ovoid, (11.0-)13.0-14.5-16.5(-18) × (6.0-)5.5-6.5-8.0(-9.0) µm (n = 153), wall ca. 0.5 µm. Pycnidia not found.

Chemistry.

Thallus K+ yellow, C-; containing atranorin, zeorin and the stictic acid complex.

Distribution.

This species occurs on bark at similar localities as L. anhuiensis in Anhui Province at elevations between 1160 and 1720 m.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the similar species L. japonica .

Notes.

In our collections, we observed the presence of apothecia containing 8-spored asci as well as others containing 16-spored asci, growing mixed and distributed randomly on the same thallus. On rare occasions, 8-spored asci have been also been observed in the apothecia containing 16-spored asci. In order to rule out the possibility that we were actually observing two species growing intermixed, we sequenced both types of apothecia separately. The phylogeny (Fig. 2 ) showed no genetic differences between these apothecia. The only phenotypic difference seems to be that ascospores in 8-spored asci are, on average, larger than those in 16-spored asci, although both have a similar size range. It might be confused with other species of the L. subfusca group, especially if only 8-spored asci are found in the hymenium, but it is readily distinguished by its unique chemistry.

Three multispored species from the L. subfusca group previously reported from China, L. japonica , L. subjaponica and L. moniliformis , are morphologically similar to L. pseudojaponica in having red-brown apothecia, an epihymenium without crystals and small crystals in the amphithcium. Lecanora japonica differs by the lack of lichen substances other than atranorin ( Miyawaki 1988), L. subjaponica contains (16-) 32-spored asci and lacks stictic acid ( Lü et al. 2012) and L. moniliformis has crenate apothecial margins and produces psoromic acid ( Qiu and Lü 2022). Lecanora subpraesistens is another multispored species with an egranulose epihymenium, but it can be distinguished from L. pseudojaponica by large crystals in the amphithecium, slightly larger apothecia (0.5-1.5 mm) and the absence of stictic acid ( Nayaka et al. 2006).

Additional specimens examined.

China: Anhui Prov.: Anqing Ci., Yuexi Co., Yangtianwo, Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve, 31°58′11″N, 116°4′10″E, alt. 1160 m, on bark, 15 Oct 2020, Yao Zongting 20200915 (HMAS-L-0147401), Yao Zongting 20200911 (HMAS-L-0147400), Yao Zongting 20200932 (HMAS-L-0147405); Lu’an Ci., Jinzhai Co. , the main peak of the Tiantangzhai Scenic Area , Da-pie Mountain , 31°06′20″N, 115°46′15″E, alt. 1720 m, on bark, 12 Oct 2020, Ren Qiang 20200751 (HMAS-L-0147385); Lu′an Ci., Jinzhai Co. , Waterfalls area of the Tiantangzhai Scenic Area , 31°12′26″N, 115°76′67″E, alt. 1492 m, on bark, 19 Sep 2022, Zhang Yanyun 22-959 (AHUB-00813); Lu′an Ci., Jinzhai Co. , Waterfalls area of the Tiantangzhai Scenic Area , 31°12′27″N, 115°76′69″E, alt. 1490 m, on oak bark, 19 Sep 2022, Zhang Yanyun 22-961 (AHUB-00815); Lu′an Ci., Huoshan Co. , Baimajian in the Main Scenic Area of Ta-pieh Mountain , 31°11′45″N, 116°17′95″E, alt. 1459 m, on bark, 09 Sep 2021, Zhang Yanyun 21-124 (AHUB-01027) .

Material of additional species examined.

Lecanora baekdudaeganensis : China. Anhui Prov.: Anqing Ci., Yuexi Co., 31°10′16″N, 115°35′35″E, alt. 770 m, on bark, 13 Oct 2020, Zhang Jiarong 20200766 L1452 (HMAS-L-0147386), Zhang Jiarong 20200762 (HMAS-L-0147387) .

Lecanora cateilea : China. Yunnan Prov.: Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Baima Snow Mt. , 27°24′00″N, 98°56′99″E, alt. 4100 m, on stump, 23 Oct 2003, Wang Lisong et al. 03-22910 (KUN-L) .

Lecanora loekoesii : China. Shaanxi Prov.: Baoji Ci., Taibai Mt. , 33°54′20″N, 107°47′99″E, alt. 2200 m, on Betula bark, 2014, Wang Lisong et al. 14-45264 (KUN-L-47212) ; Heilongjiang Prov.: Heihe Ci., Sunwu Co., 49°38′99″N, 127°17′59″E, alt. 335 m, on bark, 24 Aug 2014, Wei Xinli et al. HLJ201400311 (HMAS-L-0131277); Yichun Ci., Hongxing Co., 49°48′01″N, 127°25′34″E, alt. 280 m, on bark, 26 Aug 2014, Wei Xinli et al. HLJ201400640 (HMAS-L-0131305); Yichun Ci., Fenglin Co. , 49°46′01″N, 127°25′20″E, alt. 262 m, on bark, 27 Aug 2014, Wei Xinli et al. HLJ201400853 (HMAS-L-0131321) .

Lecanora subjaponica : China. Yunnan Prov.: Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Baima Snow Mt. , 27°24′00″N, 98°56′99″E, alt. 4100 m, on bark, 23 Oct 2003, Wang Lisong et al. 03-22905 (KUN-L) ; Xizang Prov.: Lizhi Ci., 29°43′99″N, 94°43′99″E, alt. 3131 m, on bark, 19 Aug 2004, Huang Manrong 1662 (HMAS-L-0148671) .

Figures

Figure 2. Phylogenetic tree generated from Maximum Likelihood (ML) analysis of the Lecanora subfusca group, emphasising multispored taxa, based on nrITS sequences. SH-aLRT support (%) ≥ 80 / ultrafast bootstrap support (%) ≥ 95 are given above the nodes. Newly-generated sequences are indicated in bold. Phenotypical characters are mapped next to the tree, solid grey rectangles indicate the presence of corresponding features: 1, multispored asci; 2, apothecial amphithecium with large crystals; 3, amphithecium with small crystals; 4, epihymenium without crystals; 5, epihymenium with fine crystals; 6, epihymenium with coarse crystals; 7, thallus with soredia; 8, atranorin; 9, usnic acid; 10, zeorin; 11, stictic acid; 12, norstictic acid.

Figure 4. The new species Lecanora pseudojaponica A lichen thallus and apothecia, habit B vertical sections of apothecia in polarized light C vertical sections of apothecia mounted in lactophenol cotton blue in normal light D 16 - spored ascus E 8 - spored ascus F ascospores in 8 - spored asci G ascospores in 16 - spored asci. Scale bars: 1 mm (A); 20 µm (B, C); 10 µm (D, E, F, G).