Coniarthonia echinospora
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| Coniarthonia echinospora | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Arthoniomycetes |
| Order: | Arthoniales |
| Family: | Arthoniaceae |
| Genus: | Coniarthonia |
| Species: | C. echinospora |
| Binomial name | |
| Coniarthonia echinospora Aptroot (2022) | |
 Holotype: Reserva Cristalino, Mato Grosso, Brazil | |
Coniarthonia echinospora is a corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Arthoniaceae.[1] Described in 2022 from specimens collected in primary rainforest in Mato Grosso, Brazil, this species is distinguished by its spiny-surfaced ascospores that turn brown and accumulate in a powdery mass on top of the fruiting bodies. It forms thin, pale grayish-white crusts on tree bark, with tiny brown disc-shaped fruiting bodies less than 0.3 millimeters across dotting the surface. The species name echinospora refers to the characteristic short spines that ornament its spores, a feature visible under microscopic examination.
Coniarthonia echinospora was described in 2022 by André Aptroot from material collected on tree bark in primary rainforest in the Reserva Cristalino, Mato Grosso, Brazil, at an elevation of 250 to 350 m (820 to 1,150 ft). The holotype (specimen A. Aptroot 83020) is deposited in the herbarium of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (CGMS). Within Coniarthonia, the species is distinguished by its brown fruiting bodies (apothecia) and ascospores that become brown, remain on top of the ascomata in a mazaedium, and are ornamented with short spines. Aptroot noted that these characters, together with the crustose thallus and ascoma organization, place the species in the Arthoniaceae and make it a distinct lineage among mazaedium-forming lichens, closest to Coniarthonia in current keys.[2]