Coniocarpon foliicola
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| Coniocarpon foliicola | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Arthoniomycetes |
| Order: | Arthoniales |
| Family: | Arthoniaceae |
| Genus: | Coniocarpon |
| Species: | C. foliicola |
| Binomial name | |
| Coniocarpon foliicola Aptroot (2022) | |
 Holotype: Reserva Cristalino, Mato Grosso, Brazil | |
Coniocarpon foliicola is a foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) lichen in the family Arthoniaceae.[1] Described in 2022 from specimens collected in old-growth rainforest in Mato Grosso, Brazil, this species is the first leaf-dwelling member of the genus Coniocarpon, which previously contained only bark-dwelling species. It forms thin, pale ochre-colored crusts on living leaves, with small pink fruiting bodies measuring 0.2–0.5 millimeters across.
Coniocarpon foliicola was described in 2022 by André Aptroot from material collected on living leaves 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 (A. Aptroot 83123) is deposited in the herbarium of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (CGMS). Within Coniocarpon the species is distinguished by its foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) habit and its translucent, 3-septate (three-segmented), macrocephalic (enlarged-head), broadly clavate (club-shaped) ascospores, which measure 11.5–13 × 5–6 micrometers (μm). Aptroot noted that few species are currently known in Coniocarpon, none of them foliicolous, and that the new species also does not match any previously described foliicolous genus in the Arthoniaceae; these features support its placement as a distinct species of Coniocarpon. The specific epithet foliicola refers to its leaf-dwelling habit.[2]