Cora elephas Lücking, Moncada

Oset, Magdalena, Guzow-Krzemińska, Beata, Flakus, Adam, Rodriguez-Flakus, Pamela & Kukwa, Martin, 2024, New records of Cora species (Hygrophoraceae, Agaricales, lichenized Basidiomycota) from Bolivia confirmed by molecular data, Phytotaxa 670 (2), pp. 83-96 : 87-88

Cora elephas Lücking, Moncada & L. Vargas (2017a:172)

Description. Thallus foliose to 17 cm in diameter, composed of 3–6 semicircular, adjacent lobes (2–3.5 cm long, 2.5–6 cm wide). The colour of the thallus of the analysed specimens was dark-brown to pale-blackish, with slight concentric colour zonation or often mottled with light grey patches towards the center, with slight concentric colour zonation and thick, involute, yellowish grey margins. Upper surface undulate to pitted, glabrous; lower surface ecorticate, felty arachnoid, yellowish grey. Thallus in section up to 480 µm thick, with upper cortex, photobiont layer and medulla. Upper cortex 25–55 µm thick, formed by densely packed, more or less periclinal, 4–6 µm thick hyphae supported by a 70–110 µm high ‘medullary’ layer; photobiont layer 80–200 µm thick, aeruginose-green in the lower part, orange in the upper part, medulla 100–140 µm thick, hymenophore 100–120 µm thick in cross-section, resting on a thick medullary layer; hymenium composed of palisade-like basidioles; basidioles 20–30 × 3.5–4 µm; basidia not observed (cf. Lücking et al. 2017a and own observation).

Chemistry. No substances detected by TLC.

Distribution and ecology. Cora elephas is mostly a saxicolous lichen, usually associated with bryophytes and other lichens. So far C. elephas was noted above 3000 m in the northern Andes from Columbia and Ecuador ( Lücking et al. 2017a). The record presented in this papers is the first one from Bolivia.

Notes. Cora elephas is one of the most conspicuous species of the genus due to its size ( Lücking et al. 2017a). Due to its rather thick, large and dark grey lobes with thick, white margins and common occurrence on rocks, the species is relatively easy to recognize ( Lücking et al. 2017a). Together with four other species, C. aturucoa , C. caucensis B. Moncada, M.C. Gut. & Lücking , C. gomeziana and C. rubrosanguinea it forms the C. elephas clade, which brings together species characterized by rather thick, large, dark grey lobes with thick, white margins, and turning reddish when rewetting herbarium material ( Lücking et al. 2017a). Cora atucuroa differs in more greenish thallus when fresh, distinctly undulate lobe surface, thinner lobe margins and thallus, and the hymenophore forming confluent, marginally protruding patches. Cora gomeziana has an aeruginous-green thallus colour when fresh, rather thin lobe margins, and a protruding hymenophore. Cora caucensis is mostly a terricolous lichen with smaller (up to 5 cm across) thallus. Cora rubrosanguinea is rather unique in the pigment formation by re-wetting of herbarium specimens, a character observed in other species belonging to this clade, but to a lesser extent ( Lücking et al. 2017a). Another large species, which is also related to C. elephas , C. gigantea Lücking, B. Moncada & Coca has larger, but thinner, more flexible thallus ( Lücking et al. 2017a).

Specimens examined. Bolivia, Dept. La Paz, Prov. Nor Yungas, PNANMI Cotapata, near Rio Jinchumuruni, below Pongo village, road Coroico-La Paz, 16°19’15.72”S, 67°56’32.89”W, 3734 m, Páramo Yungueño, on terricolous bryophytes, 9 Dec. 2016, A. Flakus 28939 (LPB, KRAM).