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Lepraria atrotomentosa Orange & Wolseley |
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Nomenclatural data
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Biblioth. Lichenol. 78: 328 (2001); type: Sri Lanka, Central Province, Nuwara Eliya District, Ramboda, 07°03'30”N, 80°42' E, 12. Jan. 2000, V. Karunaratne, K. Bombuwala & S. Mendis (BM—holotypus, PDA—isotypus).
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Morphology
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Thallus crustose, leprose; with powdery, partly membranous, sometimes cottony appearance; pale blue-grey to greenish grey; thin to moderately thick, relatively soft, not very firmly attached to the substrate, partly loose; shape irregular, often fusing with other thalli, creating patches of individual and often scattered lobes together with non-lobate parts intermixed, up to several cm in diam.; margin delimited, lobes absent or present, sometimes well developed, 0.5-2 mm wide, with raised marginal rim, sometimes irregular and less than 0.5 mm wide, without a rim; cortex absent; medulla present, thin, white; hypothallus usually thick, sometimes thin, lax, dark brown, forms a tomentum under lobes; prothallus absent; areoles absent; squamules absent; soredia abundant to sparse in places, sometimes exposing smooth ecorticate membranous surface, fine to medium, sometimes coarse, 60-200 µm in diam., usually relatively densely packed; without distinct wall; projecting hyphae rarely present, not abundant, short, up to 40 µm; isidia-like structures absent. Photobiont green, cells more or less spherical, 6-15 µm in diam.
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Chemistry
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Lecanoric acid, atranorin, zeorin, unidentified fatty acids. K+ yellowish, C+ pink to red, KC+ more or less red, Pd+ yellow.
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Remarks
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L. impossibilis and L. pallida are similar morphologically. L. impossibilis contains pannaric acid 6-methylester in addition to lecanoric acid, L. pallida produces atranorin, zeorin and fatty acids. Unlobed specimens of L. atrotomentosa may resemble L. incana in appearance but L. atrotomentosa has a dark tomentum below the thallus and a different chemistry. L. nigrocincta and L. aurescens also have dark tomentum below thallus. L. nigrocincta contains divaricatic acid, L. aurescens produces thamnolic acid and the tomentum is less extensive. Several species can develop well developed lobes, see the discussion under L. membranacea.
Species that can produce lecanoric acid include L. achariana, L. atrotomentosa, L. goughensis, L. impossibilis, L. lecanorica, but these species differ in the following aspects. L. achariana produces only roccellic/angardianic (not always present) acid besides lecanoric acid and has stratified thallus with fine soredia and diffuse margin. L. atrotomentosa contains atranorin and zeorin and has well developed layer of dark hyphae on the lower side of thallus. L. goughensis contains gyrophoric acid and strepsilin (minor to trace amounts) and has very fine soredia and no hypothallus. L. impossibilis contains pannaric acid 6-methylester, otherwise being similar to some lobate morphs of L. atrotomentosa. L. lecanorica contains atranorin and has usually thick thallus without dark hypothallus.
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Ecology and distribution
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Substrate and ecology: siliceous rock or soil, bark, shaded, sheltered, damp. Distribution: China (Hong Kong), Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Japan.
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