Astrothelium vulcanum
Astrothelium vulcanum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Guyana, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected from the Kuyuwini Landing (Rupununi) at an elevation of 200 m (660 ft); here, in a savannah forest, it was found growing on the smooth bark of trees. The lichen has a smooth, somewhat shiny thallus surrounded by a thin black prothallus, and covering areas up to 25 cm (10 in) in diameter. Its ascospores are spindle-shaped (fusiform) with rounded edges, with three septa and dimensions of 20–25 by 6.5–7.5 µm. Astrothelium vulcanum contains lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes the thallus to fluoresce when lit with a long-wavelength UV light.[1]
Astrothelium vulcanum | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Dothideomycetes |
Order: | Trypetheliales |
Family: | Trypetheliaceae |
Genus: | Astrothelium |
Species: | A. vulcanum |
Binomial name | |
Astrothelium vulcanum Aptroot (2016) | |
References
- Aptroot, André; Ertz, Damien; Etayo Salazar, Javier Angel; Gueidan, Cécile; Mercado Diaz, Joel Alejandro; Schumm, Felix; Weerakoon, Gothamie (2016). "Forty-six new species of Trypetheliaceae from the tropics". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 609–638. doi:10.1017/s002428291600013x. S2CID 89128070.