Cora timucua
Species of lichen-forming fungus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cora timucua, the Timucua heart lichen, is a species of lichen collected from 1885 to 1985 in Florida. The Timucua heart lichen was named to honor the Timucua people.[3] The species is now potentially extinct but this is unknown.[4]
| Cora timucua | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Hygrophoraceae |
| Genus: | Cora |
| Species: | C. timucua |
| Binomial name | |
| Cora timucua Dal-Forno, Kaminsky & Lücking (2020) | |
Description
Cora timucua lichens are around 2.5 to 7 cm across and grow on the bark of shrubs (Lyonia ferruginea and Quercus virginiana) in inland scrub and oak-dominated hardwood forests of Florida.[4] C. timucua is a foliose lichen composed of 1–3(–5)-cm semicircular lobes, which are each 1–3(–4) cm wide and 1–3 cm long. The lobes are often striped, with some blue-green areas, as well as grey-green, to brown, or yellow regions, bleeding a reddish-brown pigment.[5]
Conservation
In a review of Red Listing methods for lichenized fungi, Cora timucua was cited as an example of a recently described species that may already be extinct, illustrating how poorly known lichens can remain undescribed until after extensive habitat loss has occurred.[6]