Platismatia lacunosa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Known predominantly from western North America, it reproduces primarily through sexual means, which is uncommon in the genus. The species is distinguished by its ridged surface and large, folded apothecia (fruiting bodies).
| Platismatia lacunosa | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Parmeliaceae |
| Genus: | Platismatia |
| Species: | P. lacunosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Platismatia lacunosa | |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
editPlatismatia lacunosa was first formally described in 1803 by Erik Acharius as a member of the genus Cetraria.[1] William and Chicita Culberson transferred it to the genus Platismatia in 1968.[2] Phylogenetic analysis has shown P. lacunosa to be a distinct, monophyletic species within Platismatia. Ancestral state reconstruction suggests that P. lacunosa, a sexually reproducing species, likely evolved from an asexual ancestor.[3]
Description
editThe upper thallus surface of P. lacunosa is greenish gray, gray to almost white, with margins that may become blackened. It is characterized by strong reticulations rising at right angles to the surface, creating ridges. The lower surface is black at the center, with chestnut brown edges, sometimes becoming white. It is often mottled and somewhat reticulately wrinkled, but not punctate. Occasional pseudocyphellae (small pores) may be present on the upper surface.[3]
Platismatia lacunosa has few to abundant black rhizines, which are rarely produced. Apothecia, the reproductive structures, are uncommon. When present, they are large and folded with brown discs, and located on the margins or close by. The apothecia become expanded and irregular at maturity.[3]
Chemical analysis has revealed that P. lacunosa contains atranorin, caperatic acid, and fumarprotocetraric acid.[3]
Habitat and distribution
editPlatismatia lacunosa is found in Asia, Europe, and western North America.[3] In 2021, it was recorded from the Commander Islands in the Russian Far East.[4]
References
edit- ^ Acharius, Erik (1803). Methodus qua Omnes Detectos Lichenes Secundum Organa Carpomorpha ad Genera, Species et Varietates Redigere atque Observationibus Illustrare Tentavit Erik Acharius (in Latin). Stockholm: F.D.D. Ulrich. p. 295.
- ^ Culberson, William Louis; Culberson, Chicita F. (1968). The Lichen Genera Cetrelia and Platismatia (Parmeliaceae). Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Vol. 34. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 449–558 [541].
- ^ a b c d e Asher, Olivia A.; Howieson, John; Lendemer, James C. (2023). "A new perspective on the macrolichen genus Platismatia (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) based on molecular and phenotypic data". The Bryologist. 126 (1): 1–18. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-126.1.001.
- ^ Kuznetsova, E.S.; Stepanchikova, I.S.; Skirina, I.F.; Chesnokov, S.V.; Himelbrant, D.E. (2021). "A revision of the lichen genus Platismatia (Parmeliaceae) in Russia, with a key to the species". Novosti Sistematiki Nizshikh Rastenii (in Russian). 55 (1): 179–194. doi:10.31111/nsnr/2021.55.1.179.