Loxospora elatina (Ach.) A. Massal.

Ptach-Styn, Lucja, Guzow-Krzeminska, Beata, Lendemer, James C., Tonsberg, Tor & Kukwa, Martin, 2024, Phylogeny of the genus Loxospora s. l. (Sarrameanales, Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota), with Chicitaea gen. nov. and five new combinations in Chicitaea and Loxospora, MycoKeys 102, pp. 155-181 : 155

Loxospora elatina (Ach.) A. Massal.

Fig. 8

Lecanora elatina Ric. Auton. Lich. Crost.: 138 (1852). - Lecanora elatina Ach., Lich. Univ.: 387 (1810).

Type.

Lusatia, [corticolous], Mosig? (lectotype: H-ACH 1199A!, selected here; MycoBank No: MBT 10017693).

Typification.

In the protologue of Lecanora elatina , Acharius (1810) cited the locality as "Habitat in cortice Pini Abietis Silesiae. Mosig". The type collection in H-ACH consists of four pieces of bark covered with thalli of Loxospora elatina . Three (H-ACH 1199A, 1199B and 1199C) are annotated “Lusatia” with a very faint pencil note next to H-ACH 1199A deciphered as possibly “Mosig” (this note probably not added by Acharius himself as the handwriting in pencil differs from all notes made in ink). The fourth specimen, H-ACH 1199D is annotated "Germania. Schrader". According to the label added in modern times and attached to the type collection, Lusatia was part of Silesia, therefore, the three specimens annotated “Lusatia” can be considered original material; however, it is impossible to verify whether all three were collected by Mosig. Nevertheless, the largest sample (H-ACH 1199A) is fertile and apothecia were mentioned in the diagnosis, therefore it is selected as lectotype. The Acharius collection in BM also contains a specimen of Lecanora elatina , however without any locality details; therefore, it cannot be considered as an isolectotype.

Description.

Thallus crustose, grey, matt, thin (at the margin) or more usually thick, continuous or cracked, slightly folded at least the margins, later areolate-verrucose to tuberculate (sometimes only part of the thallus tuberculate). Areoles usually strongly convex, tuberculate and constricted at the base or resembling coarse isidia, sometimes pustulate, dispersed or aggregated. Soralia whitish to greenish-grey, flat or more often convex, rounded or more often irregular, bursting from the top of areoles, often fused and tending to coalesce locally on the thallus or covering most parts of the thallus, sometimes developing from irregular cracks of the thallus. Soredia up to 60 µm in diam., often in consoredia up to 120 µm wide. Apothecia rare, up to 1.2 mm in diam., single or grouped up to five apothecia. Thalline margin present in young apothecia, smooth to flexuose, verrucose or dentate, sometimes with small soralia, later excluded. Excipulum proprium thin, flesh-coloured to white grey in surface view, orange-brown in section, smooth or more often flexuous, up to 100 µm wide in section. Disc reddish-brown, thinly white pruinose. Hymenium up to 125 µm high. Epihymenium straw-brown (K+ pale reddish-brown), with dense granules dissolving in K. Paraphyses not capitate, sometimes anastomosing. Asci 8-spored, with uniformly KI+ blue apical dome. Ascospores 0-5-septate, spiralled in asci, hyaline, fusiform, curved, 35-53(-64) × 4.5-6.5(-7) µm. Pycnidia not known. Photobiont chlorococcoid, cells up to 12 µm in diam.

Chemistry.

Thamnolic acid (major), elatinic acid (minor, trace or absent) and squamatic acid (trace or absent). Spot tests: cortex, apothecial section, soralia and medulla K+ lemon-yellow, Pd+ yellow to orange, UV-.

Notes.

Loxospora elatina is similar to L. chloropolia ; for differences, see under that species. The name (often as Haematomma elatinum (Ach.) A. Massal.) was often used in the past for the non-sorediate specimens currently referred to as L. ochrophaea . Both species, as mentioned above, are indeed morphologically (except for the production of soralia) and chemically almost identical and may represent the same species.

Loxospora ochrophaeoides , when described, was compared with L. ochrophaea and characterised as differing only in the presence of semi-globose soralia ( Kalb and Hafellner 1992). Whether this taxon is distinct or synonymous with L. elatina or L. chloropolia , needs further studies using molecular techniques.

Some specimens of L. elatina were found to be determined as Ochrolechia androgyna (Hoffm.) Arnold, but that species and the recently segregated O. bahusiensis H. Magn. and O. mahluensis Räsänen differ in the production of gyrophoric acid and simple, larger ascospores ( Tønsberg 1992; Kukwa 2011).

Habitat and distribution.

The species is corticolous or lignicolous and grows on bark of various coniferous and deciduous tree in forests. The species was reported from many countries in the Northern Hemisphere; however, as some records may belong to L. chloropolia , its distribution needs revision. In the course of this study, we examined specimens from Austria, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, United Kingdom, Ukraine and USA.

Specimens of Loxospora elatina and L. ochrophaea examined.

See Suppl. material 3.

Figures

Figure 8. Morphology of Loxospora elatina (for details of specimens, see Table 1, Suppl. material 3) A, B thalli with tuberculate areoles and irregular and partly fused soralia (A UGDA L- 47757 B UGDA L- 47762) C thallus with soralia bursting from areoles and later fused (UGDA L- 47761) D soralia covering most parts of the thallus (UGDA L- 47760) E, F apothecia with sorediate or esorediate margins (O L- 97759). Scale bars: 1 mm.