Pyxine daedalea Krog & R. Sant.

Mongkolsuk, Pachara, Meesim, Sanya, Poengsungnoen, Vasun & Kalb, Klaus, 2012, The lichen family Physciaceae in Thailand-I. The genus Pyxine, Phytotaxa 59 (1), pp. 32-54 : 45

10. Pyxine daedalea Krog & R. Sant. in Moberg, Thunbergia 2: 7 (1986).

Type:— COSTA RICA. Cartago Province: 13 km SE of Cartago, 2.5 km SE of Orosi near the bridge over Rio Grande de Orosi , on a large boulder in a field, ca. 1150 m; 9°47' N, 83°50' W, 10 January 1979, H. Krog & R. Santesson 29074 (holotype O; isotype hb. Kalb!) .

Thallus usually corticolous, seldom saxicolous, 2–6 (–10) cm wide, adnate to loosely adnate, subdichotomously lobate. Lobes radiating, discrete to ± contiguous, plane to slightly concave at the tips, but usually convex from the tips to the centre, 0.4–1.0 mm wide, subrotund to truncate at the apices. Upper surface lead-grey to dark grey or grey-brown in older parts, not pruinose or seldom with a punctiform pruina near the apices. Soralia present, laminal, hemispherical with coarsely granular, grey soredia. Pseudocyphellae marginal and laminal, rare on convex thallus parts, but distinct on plane parts, becoming reticulate. Medulla beige, cream or pale orange in upper part; lower medulla white. Lower surface black in the centre, paler towards the margin; rhizines ± dense, furcate. Apothecia common, obscurascens - type, 0.3–0.6 mm wide; disc epruinose. Internal stipe distinct; upper part pale cream or white, K-, P-, C-, KC-; lower part much paler or white, K-, P-, C-, KC-. Ascospores 10–15 × 6–7 µm. Pycnidia not seen.

Chemistry: Cortex K + yellow, UV-; medulla upper part: K + reddish to orange, P + orange, C-, KC-, lower part: K-, P-, C-, KC-; containing atranorin (major), terpenes (major or minor), unknown pigment (minor or trace).

Distribution and habitat:—Rare on bark in coniferous, dry dipterocarp, hill evergreen forests and lower montane scrubs. Also in Africa and South America.

Notes:— Pyxine daedalea is characterized by the cortical atranorin, the presence of laminal soralia, the beige, cream or pale orange medulla and apothecia of the obscuracens - type with a whitish, K- internal stipe. Pyxine obscurascens is similar, but it has a medulla that is distinctly orange. P. coralligera exhibits the same array of terpenes as P. daedalea , but is readily distinguished in having polysidiangia rather than soralia ( Kalb 1987: 48).

Material from Thailand examined:— Chiang Mai; Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, on Catanopsis diversitoria in dry dipterocarp forest, 530 m, 18°53' N, 98°51' E, 24 January 1994, K. Boonpragob et al. 1026 ( RAMK).— Chiang Mai; Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, on Quercus mespilifolioides in dry dipterocarp forest, 5 30 m, 1 8° 5 3' N, 9 8° 5 1' E, 3 F e bru a ry 1 99 4, K. B oo np r ag ob e t a l. 1 39 8, 1 400, 1 404, 1 409 ( RAMK).— Chiang Mai; Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, on Adina cordifolia in hill evergreen forest, 1430 m, 8 November 1994, K. Boonpragob et al. 3532 ( RAMK).— Loei; Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary, Lon Tae Forest Ranger Station, on the bark of Pinus kesiya in coniferous forest, 1343 m, 17°12'00'' N, 101°33'48'' E, 12 November 2009, MSPL 606, 610 ( RAMK).— Nakhon Ratchasima; Khao Yai National Park, on the bark of Sycopsis macrophylla in lower montane scrub, 750 m, 14°25' N, 101°36' E, 18 January 1999, K. Boonpragob 15187 ( RAMK).