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Lepraria toilenae Kantvilas & Kukwa |
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Nomenclatural data
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Muelleria 23: 3 (2006); type: Tasmania, West of Tahune Bridge in the Warra SST, 43°06'S, 146°40'E, 10. May 2005, G. Kantvilas 121/05 (HO—holotypus; BG, BM, UGDA—isotypi).
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Morphology
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Thallus crustose, leprose, with powdery to cottony appearance; whitish green to greenish grey; thick or thin; shape irregular, up to 50 cm in diam., sometimes colonies 3-5 mm; margin diffuse, young colonies more or less delimited, lobes absent; cortex absent; true medulla absent but hypothallus may look like medulla; hypothallus very well developed, white or rarely pale greyish white, forming thick weft; areoles absent; squamules absent; soredia-free zone at thallus margins, sometimes only sparse soredia on exposed cottony hypothallus, soredia sparse or abundant and forming thick continuous layer, fine, 16-40 µm in diam.; wall incomplete; projecting hyphae very rarely present, sparse, short, up to 15 µm; consoredia sometimes present, up to c. 80 µm in diam.; isidia-like structures absent. Photobiont chlorococcoid, cells 5-8(-10) µm in diam.
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Chemistry
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Malonprotocetraric acid, fumarprotocetraric acid, roccellic acid, protocetraric acid (minor), confumarprotocetraric acid (trace). K–, C–, KC–, Pd+ red.
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Remarks
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Morphologically more or less similar species include L. achariana, L. atlantica, L. celata, L. humida, L. jackii, L. lobata, L. neojackii, L. sylvicola, L. toensbergiana. The production of the rare substance malonprotocetraric acid in large quantities makes L. toilenae chemically unique. Characteristic morphological features are fine soredia on well developed whitish hypothallus and the lack of lobes. Several species produce protocetraric and/or fumarprotocetraric acids, see the discussion under L. caesioalba.
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Ecology and distribution
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Substrate and ecology: bark of very large and old trees, often slightly burnt; prefers high humidity, old forest, dry bark. Distribution: Tasmania.
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