Lecanora confusa
| Lecanora confusa | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Lecanoraceae |
| Genus: | Lecanora |
| Species: | L. confusa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lecanora confusa Almb. (1955)
| |
Lecanora confusa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecanoraceae. It grows on the bark of trees and shrubs, particularly in coastal areas of Europe and North America. First identified in Sweden in 1955, this small, greenish-grey lichen forms smooth patches and is recognized by its pale yellowish-green reproductive structures (apothecia). Once thought extinct in the Netherlands, it was rediscovered in 2000 growing primarily on poplar trees. The species contains several unique secondary metabolites and is part of a group of similar-looking lichens related to Lecanora polytropa.
Taxonomy
It was described as new to science in 1955 by the Swedish lichenologist Ove Almborn. Thetype specimen was collected by Almborn himself on 26 August 1950, in Hallands Väderö, located in Torekov parish, Skåne, Sweden. The specimen was found growing on alder in an area called Kapellhamnskärret.[1] This specimen is preserved as a lectotype in the Lund University Botanical Museum (LD) herbarium, having been formally designated as the lectotype by Arup and Ekman in 1991.[2]
It is a member of the species complex resembling Lecanora polytropa.[3]
Description
Lecanora confusa has a granular to areolate thallus that forms small, smooth, green to yellow-grey patches. Its apothecia, usually abundant, measure 0.4–0.7 mm, and have a pale yellowish-green, flat to convex disc. Asci (spore-bearing sacs) are club-shaped (clavate) and measure 32–45 by 11–15 μm. Its ascospores have a narrow ellipsoidal shape and typically measure 10–14 by 4–5 μm. The lichen contains several lichen products: usnic acid, zeorin, thiophanic acid, arthothelin, and some other xanthone compounds.[3]
Habitat and distribution
Lecanora confusa is widespread in Northern and Western Europe, with a range extending to southern Scandinavia. It also occurs in North America (including Alaska[4]) and in Macaronesia. It grows on the bark of twigs and branches of deciduous shrubs and trees, and occasionally on timber, especially in coastal areas.[3] Once considered extinct in the Netherlands, L. confusa rediscovered in 2000 at 24 localities in Zeeland province, predominantly growing on the trunks of poplar trees along roads, dikes, and forest edges. Although historically associated with twigs, these new findings were all on tree trunks in well-lit conditions.[5] In 2024, it was reported from Paramushir in the Russian Far East, its first record from Russia.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Almborn, O. (1955). "Lavvegetation och lavflora pa Hallands Vadero". Kunglige Svenska Vetenskapsakademien Avhandlinger I Naturskyddsarden (in Swedish). 11: 72.
- ^ Printzen, C. (2001). "Corticolous and lignicolous species of Lecanora (Lecanoraceae, Lecanorales) with usnic or isousnic acid in the Sonoran Desert Region". The Bryologist. 104 (3): 382–409. doi:10.1639/0007-2745(2001)104[0382:CALSOL]2.0.CO;2.
- ^ a b c Edwards, B.; Aptroot, A.; Hawksworth, D.L.; James, P.W. (2009). "Lecanora Ach. in Luyken (1809)". In Smith, CW; Aptroot, A.; Coppins, B.J.; Fletcher, A.; Gilbert, O.L.; James, P.W.; Wolseley, P.A. (eds.). The Lichens of Great Britain and Ireland. London: British Lichen Society. p. 482.
- ^ Talbot, Stephen S.; Talbot, Sandra Looman; Thomson, John W. (1991). "Lichens of Attu Island, Alaska". The Bryologist. 94 (4): 421–426. doi:10.2307/3243837. JSTOR 3243837.
- ^ van Herk, C.M. (2001). "Lecanora confusa Almb. weer volop terug in Nederland" [Lecanora confusa Almb. back in abundance in the Netherlands] (PDF). Buxbaumiella (in Dutch). 55: 49–51.
- ^ Zueva, A.S.; Chesnokov, S.V.; Konoreva, L.A. (2024). "Addition to the lichen biota of Paramushir Island (Northern Kuril Islands, Russian Far East)". Novosti Sistematiki Nizshikh Rastenii (in Russian). 58 (1): 35–53. doi:10.31111/nsnr/2024.58.1.L35.