Viridothelium sinuosogelatinosum
| Viridothelium sinuosogelatinosum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Order: | Trypetheliales |
| Family: | Trypetheliaceae |
| Genus: | Viridothelium |
| Species: | V. sinuosogelatinosum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Viridothelium sinuosogelatinosum Aptroot & M.Cáceres (2022)
| |
| |
| Holotype: Adolfo Ducke Forest Reserve, Brazil | |
Viridothelium sinuosogelatinosum is a species of crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae.[1] This corticolous (tree bark-dwelling) lichen is characterised by its pale olivaceous-brown thallus and its unique ascospores, which are surrounded by a wavy gelatinous sheath. It was discovered in the Amazonas state of Brazil, within the Adolfo Ducke Forest Reserve near Manaus.[2]
Taxonomy
[edit]Viridothelium sinuosogelatinosum was formally described in 2022 by the lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Eugenia Cáceres, as part of a broader study aimed at cataloging the lichen biodiversity within a small area of the Amazon rainforest. The species epithet, sinuosogelatinosum, alludes to the distinctive wavy (sinuoso) gelatinous sheath that envelops the ascospores, highlighting one of its most distinguishing features.[2]
Description
[edit]The thallus of Viridothelium sinuosogelatinosum is crustose (crust-like), corticate, and has a dull pale olivaceous-brown colouration. It does not have a prothallus bordering it. The ascomata (fruiting bodies) are single, either globose or pear-shaped, measuring between 0.4 and 0.6 mm in diameter, and are black in colour. The ostioles are apical or slightly off-centre, dark brown with a pale dot in the centre, and concave.[2]
The hamathecium (a tissue composed of filamentous hyphae) lacks any inspersed oil droplets. Ascospores are produced eight per ascus, are hyaline (transparent), and 3(–4)-septate. They measure 33–37 by 8–11 μm, and are long-ellipsoid in shape with rectangular lumina. Each spore is encased in a wavy gelatinous sheath up to 5 μm thick. No pycnidia (asexual fruiting bodies) have been observed to occur in this species.[2]
Spot tests performed on the thallus show no reaction to ultraviolet light, and negative results for standard lichen substances reactions (C, K, KC, P).[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Viridothelium sinuosogelatinosum Aptroot & M. Cáceres". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Aptroot, André; de Souza, Maria Fernanda; dos Santos, Lidiane Alves; Junior, Isaias Oliveira; Barbosa, Bruno Micael Cardoso; da Silva, Marcela Eugenia Cáceres (2022). "New species of lichenized fungi from Brazil, with a record report of 492 species in a small area of the Amazon Forest". The Bryologist. 125 (3): 435–467. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-125.3.433.