Cryptothecia albomaculans Jagadeesh & G.P. Sinha, 2016

Jagadeesh Ram, T. A. M. & Sinha, G. P., 2016, A world key to Cryptothecia and Myriostigma (Arthoniaceae), with new species and new records from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, Phytotaxa 266 (2), pp. 103-114 : 104-105

Cryptothecia albomaculans Jagadeesh & G.P. Sinha , sp. nov. ( Figs 1A & 2A )

MycoBank No.: MB 817295

Cryptothecia with heteromerous thallus, whitish ascigerous areas not raised above the thallus; 8-spored asci; ellipsoid, 9–11 × 3–5 septate, 47–57 × 24–30 μm ascospores and 2’- O -methylperlatolic acid.

Type: — INDIA. Andaman Islands, South Andaman, Wandoor, Beach forest, 11°37’19.0”N, 92°37’14.5”E, alt. 8 m, on Calophyllum inophyllum , 8.7.2011, T. A. M. Jagadeesh Ram 573 (Holotype CAL, Isotype PBL).

Thallus crustose, corticolous, epiperidermal, firmly attached, irregular, up to 10.5 cm across, whitish to whitish grey, smooth, ± uneven, minutely felty, lacking isidia and soredia, 90–300 μm thick, heteromerous, ecorticate, with numerous 3–18 μm wide calcium oxalate crystals; prothallus ± distinct, byssoid, thin, comprising mainly of interwoven and radiating hyphae, whitish, up to 2 mm wide, forming a dark brown line while bordering different species; photobiont layer 36–65 μm thick, photobiont trentepohlioid, cells rounded to oblong, 8–12 × 5–8 μm; medulla distinct, white, 55–235 μm. Ascomata (ascigerous areas) delimited, whitish, paler than the thallus, not raised, evenly scattered, ± rounded to linear, irregular, 0.5–1 mm diam., thinly pruinose, partly covered by photobiont layer. Paraphysoids tightly enclosing the asci, I + pale blue, KI+ blue. Asci frequent, aggregated in whitish ascigerous areas, externally not visible, globose to subglobose, 8-spored, c. 85–100 × 80–90 μm. Ascospores colourless, broadly ellipsoid, straight, muriform, 9–11 × 3–5 septate, with ± equal cells, (44–)47–57 × 24–30 μm (n=26). Chemistry: Thallus and ascigerous areas K –, C –, KC–, P –; UV –; I + blue and KI+ blue in patches (in section); 2’- O -methylperlatolic acid (major).

Notes: — Cryptothecia albomaculans is characterized by the heteromerous thallus, whitish ascigerous areas not raised above the thallus, ellipsoid, 9–11 × 3–5 septate, 47–57 × 24–30 μm ascospores and 2’- O -methylperlatolic acid as lichen substance. Morphologically it somewhat resembles Cryptothecia alboglauca Jagadeesh, G.P. Sinha & Kr.P. Singh (2009: 605) and C. albomaculatella Aptroot & Wolseley (in Wolseley & Aptroot 2009: 413) in having whitish ascigerous areas usually not raised above the thallus. All of these differ in their ascospores morphology in having large ascospores and different chemistry. Chemically it shows resemblence with C. culbersoniae Patw. & Makhija [as ‘ culbersonae ’] (1981: 125), C. evergladensis F. Seavey (2009: 52) and C. galapagoana Bungartz & Elix (in Bungartz et al. 2013: 745) in having 2’- O -methylperlatolic acid as a major lichen substance. However, Cryptothecia culbersoniae additionally has gyrophoric acid and large distinctly raised ascigerous areas. Cryptothecia evergladensis differs in small ascospores and additionally has psoromic acid and lichexanthone. Cryptothecia galapagoana also differs in small ascospores and additionally with confluentic and 2’- O -methylmicrophyllinic acids ( Makhija & Patwardhan 1994, Wolseley & Aptroot 2009, Jagadeesh Ram et al. 2009, Seavey 2009, Bungartz et al. 2013).

Distribution and habitat: — Cryptothecia albomaculans is known only from the type locality where it grows on Calophyllum inophyllum in a beach forest of South Andaman in the Andaman Islands.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to its maculae like whitish ascigerous areas.

Additional specimen examined: — INDIA. Andaman Islands, South Andaman, Wandoor, Beach forest,

11°37’19.0” N, 92°37’14.5” E, alt. 8 m, on Calophyllum inophyllum , 3.10.2015, T.A.M. Jagadeesh Ram 4645 (PBL).

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. Cryptothecia albomaculans (holotype), part of thallus with white maculiform ascigerous areas. B. C. elata (holotype), part of thallus with white raised ascigerous areas. C. C. elongata (holotype), part of thallus with slightly raised ascigerous areas. D. C. superphyllinica (holotype), part of thallus with white raised ascigerous areas. E. Myriostigma nicobaricum (holotype), part of thallus with white raised ascigerous areas. F. M. nicobaricum (paratype). Scales:A–F=1 mm.

FIGURE 2. A. Cryptothecia albomaculans (holotype), ascospores. B. C. elata (holotype), ascospores. C–D. C. elongata (holotype). C. Ascus. D. Ascospores. E. C. superphyllinica (holotype), ascospores. F. Myriostigma nicobaricum (holotype), ascospores. Scales=20 μm.