Enterographa rotundata
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| Enterographa rotundata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Arthoniomycetes |
| Order: | Arthoniales |
| Family: | Roccellaceae |
| Genus: | Enterographa |
| Species: | E. rotundata |
| Binomial name | |
| Enterographa rotundata M.Cáceres, E.L.Lima & Aptroot (2013) | |
Enterographa rotundata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae.[1] This species was discovered in Brazil, growing on the smooth bark of trees in the Brazilian Caatinga forest. It has round apothecia (lichen structures where spores are produced), a feature that sets it apart from most of its kind.
Enterographa rotundata was first formally described by lichenologists Marcela Cáceres, Edvaneide Leandro de Lima, and André Aptroot in 2012. Its type specimen was discovered by the second author on the bark of a tree in the Catimbau National Park, in the Pernambuco state of Brazil, at an altitude of approximately 900 m (3,000 ft).[2] The species name rotundata is derived from the Latin word rotundus, which translates to "round",[3] a fitting descriptor for the species' distinct round apothecia.
Description
The Enterographa rotundata lichen has a crust-like thallus (lichen body), which is often very thin, making it appear almost non-existent. Its colour varies from pale pinkish to pale brownish, and it adheres closely to the surface of the tree bark. Its photobiont is from the green algal genus Trentepohlia.[2]
Enterographa rotundata is distinguished by its round or slightly ellipsoidal ascomata, the sexual reproductive structures of lichen, which are dark brown to black in colour. The ascomata are 0.1–0.2 mm wide with a raised, ochraceous white margin approximately 0.05 mm wide. Each ascus, the spore-bearing structure within the ascomata, typically contains eight hyaline ascospores. These are narrowly clavate (club-shaped), 50–60 by 3.5–5.0 μm in size, and surrounded by a gelatinous sheath.[2]
One of the notable characteristics of Enterographa rotundata is its lack of detectable substances, which is relatively unusual for a lichen. It has been observed to have no reactions with the standard chemical spot tests (UV−, C−, P−, and K−); the lack of substances has been confirmed by thin-layer chromatography.[2]