Parvoplaca tiroliensis is a species of crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae,[2] and the type species of the genus Parvoplaca. It is widely distributed, and has been recorded growing on a variety of substrates, including moss, dead plant material, and bone.
| Parvoplaca tiroliensis | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Teloschistales |
| Family: | Teloschistaceae |
| Genus: | Parvoplaca |
| Species: | P. tiroliensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Parvoplaca tiroliensis (Zahlbr.) Arup, Søchting & Frödén (2013)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Taxonomy edit
The lichen was formally described as a species new to science in 1903 by the Austrian-Hungarian lichenologist Alexander Zahlbruckner, who initially classified it in the genus Caloplaca.[3] Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred the taxon to the genus Parvoplaca in 2013, following a molecular phylogenetics-based restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae.[4]
Description edit
Parvoplaca tirolensis is a muscicolous lichen, characterised by a thallus that tends to be obscured or blend into the moss it grows upon. The apothecia (fruiting bodies) of this species are dispersed and sessile, typically measuring about 0.2 mm in diameter, though they can reach up to 0.3 mm. In its early stages, the disc of the apothecia is flat to slightly concave and has a yellow hue with a greenish tinge. As it matures, the disc turns to an olive colour, retaining a yellowish tinge.[5]
The margin of the apothecia is thick and prominent, initially yellow before becoming more or less the same colour as the disc. The lateral margins, however, often retain a more pronounced yellow colour. The thalline margin of the apothecia is abundant in algae. The proper margin has a fan-shaped structure made of prosoplectenchymatic, conglutinated cells.[5]
The hypothecium of Parvoplaca tirolensis is hyaline and contains oil droplets. The hymenium measures between 70 and 100 μm and is characterized by medium coarse epipsamma. The paraphyses are slender, measuring 0.5–1 μm, and are sparsely branched at the apex. The upper cells are enlarged, about 4–6 μm thick, and constricted at the septa. The asci of this species typically contain eight spores. The spores themselves are sized 17–19 by 9–12 μm, with a septum measuring 4–4.5 μm.[5]
Similar species edit
Athallia saxifragarum is a similar species with which Parvoplaca tirolensis might be confused. The former lichen is distinguished by its somewhat larger (0.4–1.0 mm wide) and more orange-coloured apothecial discs, and smaller ascospores (12–15 by 5–8 μm).[6]
Distribution edit
The lichen was reported from Iran in 2022, where it was found growing on the oak tree bark in Mawat.[7] In Greenland, it has been recorded on old bone in addition to plant remains, the latter substrate together with Caloplaca cerina.[8]
References edit
- ^ "Synonymy. Current Name: Parvoplaca tiroliensis (Zahlbr.) Arup, Søchting & Frödén, in Arup, Søchting & Frödén, Nordic Jl Bot. 31(1): 49 (2013)". Species Fungorum. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ "Parvoplaca tiroliensis (Zahlbr.) Arup, Søchting & Frödén". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ Zahlbruckner, A. (1903). "Neue Flechten" [New lichens]. Annales Mycologici (in German). 1 (4): 354–361.
- ^ Arup, Ulf; Søchting, Ulrik; Frödén, Patrik (2013). "A new taxonomy of the family Teloschistaceae". Nordic Journal of Botany. 31 (1): 16–83 [49]. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2013.00062.x.
- ^ a b c Søchting, Ulrik; Øvstedal, Dag Olav (199). "Contributions to the Caloplaca flora of the western Antarctic region". Nordic Journal of Botany. 12: 121–134. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1992.tb00208.x.
- ^ Arup, Ulf; Klepsland, Jon T.; Pykälä, Juha (2014). "Species of Caloplaca s.lat. new to Norway, Sweden or Finland". Graphis Scripta. 26 (1–2): 46–48.
- ^ Salih, Salah Abdulla (2022). "New reports of lichens from Mawat and Gapelon districts in northeastern Iraq". Lindbergia. 2022 (1). doi:10.25227/linbg.01160.
- ^ Hansen, Eric Steen (2012). "A contribution to the lichen flora of north east Greenland" (PDF). Botanica Lithuanica. 18 (2): 109–116. doi:10.2478/v10279-012-0013-7.