Bryonora granulata
Bryonora granulata Fryday
Lichenologist 44: 485. 2012.
Description:
Thallus effuse, widespreading to 5–10 cm, on soil; made up of flatish, pale brown to grayish areoles 0.2–0.3 mm across that break down into sorediose granules 0.03–0.05 mm across. Photobiont chlorococcoid, cells (5–)8–12(–15) µm diam.
Apothecia flat to slightly convex, lecidine, 0.3–0.4 mm diam., disk dark to reddish-brown (especially when wet), proper margin 0.05 mm wide, persistent, darker than the disk and slightly raised. Hymenium 70–80 µm high, epihymenial zone 10 µm high, brown (K+ greenish-brown, N+ reddish-brown); paraphyses sparingly branched and anastomosing, septate, 2 µm wide, gradually widening to 3–4 µm at the apex, with the upper 10 µm with pale brown pigment and with a dark brown cap. Hypothecium composed of randomly arranged, brown pigmented hyphae (K+ greenish-brown, N+ reddish-brown), 4–5 µm wide; periclinally layered and narrower (2 µm wide) towards exciple. Exciple brown, composed of randomly radiating hyphae, 5–6µm wide. Asci Lecanora-type, 45–50 × 12–15 µm, cylindrical, becoming sub-clavate; ascospores simple (rarely 1-septate), hyaline, ellipsoid to somewhat fusiform, 12–15(–16) × 5.5–6.5 µm.
Conidiomata not seen
Chemistry: C–, K–, Pd–; perlatolic acid by TLC.
Distribution and Ecology:
A terricolous species described from the Falkland Islands but recently also reported from the Galapagos Islands
Remarks:
This species is unique within the genus in having a thallus that contains perlatolic acid. The only other Bryonora species known from the southern hemisphere are B. castanea (Hepp) Poelt from New Zealand and Antarctica (Poelt 1983, Øvstadal & Lewis Smith 2001) which has a thallus containing norstictic acid (K+ red), and B. peltata Øvstadal from Antarctica (Øvstadal & Lewis Smith 2001), which has a thallus containing protocetraric acid (Pd+ red).