Ramalina tenaensis V. Marcano & A. Morales, 2021

Marcano, Vicente, Méndez, Antonio Morales & Prü, Ernesto Palacios, 2021, The genus Ramalina Acharius (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes, Ramalinaceae) in northern South America, Phytotaxa 504 (1), pp. 1-77 : 62

4. Ramalina tenaensis V. Marcano & A. Morales sp. nov.; Mycobank #838609 (Fig. 39)

Thallus corticolus, laxe pendulus, saepe spiraliter siccitate tortus, ramificatione dichotomo. Pagina superior verruculosa . Pseudocyphellae desunt. Soralia nulla. Apothecia lateralia. Sporae ellipsoideae. Acida divaricaticum, boninicum et 2ˊ–O–methylsekikaicum continens.

Type:― COLOMBIA. Cundinamarca: Municipio Tena, Laguna de Pedro Palo , 200 m, 23 september 1984, J . Aguirre & H. J . Sipman 5673 (holotype B, isotype COL) .

Thallus corticolous, pendulous or subpendulous, pale yellow, more or less rigid, dichotomously branched, 15–25 cm long. Branches solid, flattened, contorted, 3–5 mm wide, with verruculose surface. Pseudocyphellae not seen. Soralia not seen. Cortical tissue paraplectenchymatous, 12–16 µm thick; chondroid tissue continuous; medullary layer dense, continuous. Pycnidia not seen. Apothecia abundant, lateral, non-spurred, discs flat to convex, 3–5 mm in diameter, reddish brown; epithecium 8–10 µm thick; hymenium 44–46 µm thick; hypothecium 16–20 µm thick. Ascospores 1–septate, colorless, short-ellipsoid, 8–10 x 4–4.5 µm.

Chemistry ( TLC, HPTLC): Divaricatic, boninic and 2ˊ– O –methylsekikaic acids.

Ecology and distribution: Ramalina tenaensis is known only from the type locality where it was collected as an epiphyte on canopy branches of Quercus humboldtii in a cloud forest at 200 m. It is known only from Colombia .

Remarks: Ramalina tenaensis is distinguished by its strongly contorted branches with verruculose surface, its lack of soralia and pseudocyphellae and its uni-septate, short ellipsoid spores (8–10 x 4–4.5 µm). This species is very similar to R. usnea , R. bogotensis and R. chilensis –all with contorted branches– but it is distinguished from them by the shape and size of its spores and its verruculose surface. The other three species show long fusiform spores and branches with a smooth surface. Chemically R. tenaensis is very similar to R. usnea , but the latter species lacks 2ˊ– O –methylsekikaic acid while boninic acid occurs in only one chemical strain of this species (see below).

The name of the species refers to the type locality.