Graphis handelii Zahlbruckner (1930: 44)

Kalb, Jutarat, Lücking, Robert & Kalb, Klaus, 2018, The lichen genera Allographa and Graphis (Ascomycota: Ostropales, Graphidaceae) in Thailand-eleven new species, forty-seven new records and a key to all one hundred and fifteen species so far recorded for the country, Phytotaxa 377 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Graphis handelii Zahlbruckner (1930: 44) .

Type:— CHINA. Provinz Hunan: in insula Niutoutschou , prope urbem Tschangscha , 25 m, ad corticem vivum Xylosmatis racemosi 2 March 1919, H. Handel-Mazzetti 12788 ( W!, lectotype, designated by Lücking et al. 2009: 402) .

Thallus corticolous, whitish gray, reddish gray (may be due to decomposing norstictic acid) or lead gray, continuous, smooth, dull. Lirellae erumpent, with lateral thalline margin, short to elongate, straight, or curved, mostly unbranched or sparsely to irregularly branched, labia divergent, entire, black, not pruinose, disc at least partly exposed, beige to light brown ( handelii -morph). Exciple laterally (rarely almost completely) carbonized; hymenium inspersed (type A); ascospores 8/ascus, hyaline, not halonate, transversely 7–9-septate, 27–40 × 7–8 μm, 5–7-septate, 30–40 × 7–8 μm (protologue), 5–11-septate, 20–40 × 6–9 μm (lectotype, Lücking et al. 2009).

Chemistry: norstictic acid (major), ± connorstictic acid (minor to trace) (anal. K. Kalb).

Distribution and habitat:—pantropical, reported from U.S. A. Florida ( Lücking et al. 2011, Seavey et al. 2027), Paraguay (as G. lineola var. chondroplaca Redinger ), Europe, Portugal ( Lepista & Aptroot 2016), Africa ( Joshi et al. 2016), India (as Schismatomma dehiscens Stirt. ) and Thailand ( Poengsungnoen et al. 2010 as G. chondroplaca ). Buaruang et al. (2017) also cite Pitakpong et al. (2015), but the specimen mentioned in that paper, Green GR4BH, originates from the U.S.A. In Thailand, it is growing on various deciduous trees in a secondary forest, a dry evergreen forest, plantations and in a light deciduous forest from 10 to 610 m.

Remarks:—This species resembles habitually some forms of Graphis scripta s. lat., but the latter can readily be separated by a clear hymenium and a mostly whitish pruinose disc.

Material from Thailand examined:— Chiang Rai province: Mae Fa Luang district, tambon Mae Fa Luang, on the way from Doi Messalong to Doi Tung , in a secondary forest, 610 m, 20°14’11N, 99°46’26’’ E, 5 December 2016, J. & K. Kalb s.n. (hb. K. & J. Kalb 41777); dito, Mae Chan district , tambon Pa Tueng, at the edge of an evergreen forest, 480 m, 20°06’30’’ N, 99°46’19’’ E, 6 December 2016, J. & K. Kalb s.n. (hb. K. & J. Kalb 42091); dito, Wiang Pa Pao district , tambon Mae Chedi, road from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai, in a light deciduous forest, 495 m, 19°36’03’’ N, 99°36’30’’ E, 12. December 2016, J. & K. Kalb s.n. (hb. K. & J. Kalb 42018)— Chumphon province: Pathio district , tambon Chum Kho, in the area of King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang , Prince of Chumphon campus, in a gooseberry tree plantaion ( Phyllanthus acidu s), 30 m, 10°45’12’’ N, 99°20’47’’ E, 22 December 2007, J. Sutjaritturakan 153.1 (hb. K. & J. Kalb 42295); dito in a rubber tree plantation, 10 m, 10°45’06’’ N, 99°20’52’’ E, 3 July 2008, J. Sutjaritturakan 1228 (hb. K. & J. Kalb 42291) .

* Graphis immersicans A. W. Archer (2001: 262) . Fig. 5E . Type:— AUSTRALIA. Queensland: Mount Stuart, 10 km S of Townsville , 330 m, 9 July 1984, H. Streimann 31317 ( CANB!, holotype) .

Thallus corticolous, whitish gray, lead gray or pale olive green, continuous, smooth or subtuberculate, dull or rarely slightly glossy. Lirellae immersed to erumpent with lateral thalline margin, short to elongate, sparsely to irregularly branched, labia convergent, entire, black, not pruinose, disc concealed (lineola- or deserpens -morph). Exciple completely carbonized; hymenium clear; ascospores 8/ascus, hyaline, transversely 7–9-septate, 28–32 × 7–9 μm, 5–7- septate, 20–31 × 6–7 μm (protologue).

Chemistry: no lichen substances by TLC (anal. J. Sutjaritturakan).

Distribution and habitat:—palaeotropical, reported from Australia (type locality), the Seychelles ( Aptroot & Sparrius 2008 –present) and the Philippines as G. leptocarpa var. invita Vain. ( Vainio 1921b) and here from Thailand for the first time where it is growing on bark of trees at low elevations.

Remarks:—Very similar is G. dracaenae , and indeed Archer (2009) synonymized the two species. But we prefer to follow Lücking et al. 2009 to keep them apart because of the different lirellae morphs (mostly stellately branched with basal thalline margin = geraensis -morph observed in G. dracaenae and sparsely to irregularly branched with lateral thalline margin = lineola - or deserpens -morph observed in G. immersicans ). Furthermore, G. dracaenae is separated in having norstictic acid.

Material from Thailand examined:— Phang-Nga province: Mueang district, in the area of Suan Somdet Srinagarindra Thara , on bark of an unidentified tree, 25 m, 8°25’59’’ N, 98°31’09’’ E, 24 April 2012, J. Sutjaritturakan 3756 & U. Siepsri, (hb. K. & J. Kalb 42343)— Trang province: Palian district , tambon Suso moo 1, in a sentang plantation ( Azadirachta excelsa ), 25 m, 07°15’29’’ N, 99°40’44’’ E, 25 May 2009, J. Sutjaritturakan 2890 & S. Siemmai, (hb. K. & J. Kalb 42345) .

* Graphis implicata Fée (1874: 27) . Fig. 5F . Type :— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: ad corticem, A. Glaziou 5036 ( S!, holotype [as G. chlorocarpella Nyl. , nom. illeg.], MICH and M!,

isotypes).

Thallus corticolous, off-white, whitish gray, lead gray or pale olive gray, continuous, smooth or subtuberculate, dull or rarely slightly glossy. Lirellae erumpent to prominent, with lateral thalline margin, short to elongate, curved or sinuous,sparsely to irregularly branched, labia beige, first convergent and entire, becoming divergent and striate with age, not pruinose, disc concealed, later slightly open, very thinly whitish pruinose, (balaghatensis- morph). Exciple completely uncarbonized, yellowish to light brownish, apically darker brown; hymenium clear; ascospores 6–8/ascus, hyaline, transversely 7–15-septate, 28–55 × 7–9 μm.

Chemistry: no lichen substances by TLC (anal. K. Kalb).

Distribution and habitat:—Pantropical, reported from Brazil (type locality), Puerto Rico, China, Vietnam, Australia ( Aptroot & Sparrius 2008 –present) and here from Thailand for the first time, where it is growing on various deciduous trees at elevations between 210 and 525 m.

Remarks:—Due to the uncarbonized exciple, this species was transferred to the genus Hemithecium by Staiger 2002. However, subsequent molecular studies (e. g. Rivas Plata et al. 2011) showed that Hemithecium implicatum was nested within Graphis s.str.

Graphis implicata is one of the species in the family where the spot test with KOH can be misleading. Especially near the lirellae, the thallus reacts K+ yellow, turning slightly reddish, but there is no spot at all on the TLC plates. Responsable for this phenomen could be the periderm which is incorporated in the lirellae.

Material from Thailand examined:— Chiang Rai province: Mueang district, tambon Huay Maesai, surroundings of Huay Maesai Waterfall , in a tropical rainforest, on bark of an unidentified deciduous tree, 525 m, 20°00’16’’ N, 99°43’01’’ E, 11 Dcember 2016, J. Kalb & K. Kalb s.n. (hb. K. & J. Kalb 41791)— Kanchanaburi province: Sangkhlaburi district , parking area of Wat Wang Wiwegkaram (Wat Mon), in a light deciduos forest, 210 m, 15°07’55’’ N, 98°47’09’’ E, 17 December 2015, J. Sutjaritturakan & K. Kalb s.n., (hb. K. & J. Kalb 41382, 41383)

Figures

FIGURE 5. A. Graphis epimelaena (scale = 0.4); B. Graphis erythrocardia (scale = 0.5); C. Graphis flavovirens (scale = 1 mm); D. Graphis gonimica (scale = 0.25 mm); E. Graphis immersicans (scale = 0.5 mm); F. Graphis implicata (scale = 0.5 mm); G. Graphis insulana (scale = 0.7 mm); H. Graphis intricata (scale = 1 mm).