Topeliopsis acutispora
Topeliopsis acutispora is a species of crustose lichen in the family Graphidaceae.[1] It is found in New South Wales and southern Queensland (Australia), where it grows on bryophytes (i.e., mosses or liverworts).
| Topeliopsis acutispora | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Graphidales |
| Family: | Graphidaceae |
| Genus: | Topeliopsis |
| Species: | T. acutispora |
| Binomial name | |
| Topeliopsis acutispora Kalb (2001) | |
Taxonomy
The lichen was formally described by lichenologist Klaus Kalb in 2001. The type specimen was collected from Cunninghams Gap in a cool temperate rainforest at an altitude of about 750 m (2,460 ft). The species epithet refers to the acute, or "pointy", shape of its spores.[2]
Description
The lichen has a thin, whitish-grey to greenish-grey, effuse (spread-out) thallus. Its apothecia are more or less spherical to barrel-shaped, measuring 0.4–0.7 mm in diameter. The pale pink excipulum, initially closed, later opens via a ragged pore (ostiole). Ascospores typically number eight per ascus (sometimes only four are present), and are hyaline, halonate, and measure 90–130 by 9–12 μm.[2]
Topeliopsis decorticans appears to be morphologically identical to T. acutispora; the two species are distinguished by major differences in their ascospores, including shape, size, septation, and number per ascus.[3]
References
- "Topeliopsis acutispora Kalb". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- Kalb, K. (2001). "The lichen genus Topeliopsis in Australia and remarks on Australian Thelotremataceae". Mycotaxon. 79: 319–328.
- Luecking, Robert; Rivas Plata, Eimy; Parnmen, Sittiporn; Staiger, Bettina; Mangold, Armin; Frisch, Andreas; Weerakoon, Gothamie; Hernandez, Jesus; Caceres, Marcela; Kalb, Klaus; Sipman, Harrie; Common, Ralph; Nelsen, Matthew; Lumbsch, Thorsten (2013). "A molecular phylogeny of Graphidaceae (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes, Ostropales) including 428 species". MycoKeys. 6: 55–94. doi:10.3897/mycokeys.6.3482.