Hypotrachyna parasinuosa
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| Hypotrachyna parasinuosa | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Parmeliaceae |
| Genus: | Hypotrachyna |
| Species: | H. parasinuosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Hypotrachyna parasinuosa Sipman & Palice (2011) | |
 Holotype: Llanganates National Park, Ecuador | |
Hypotrachyna parasinuosa is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae.[1] Found in Ecuador, it was described as new to science in 2011. It grows on tree branches in high-altitude cloud forests at around 3,800 metres elevation in Ecuador's Llanganates National Park. The species is recognized by its complete lack of attachment hairs (rhizines) on the underside and distinctive black, branching hairs (cilia) along the edges of its leaf-like lobes.
Hypotrachyna parasinuosa was described in 2011 by Harrie Sipman and Zdeněk Palice from a single specimen collected in the páramo-fringe forests of the Cordillera Llanganates, central Ecuador. Its epithet signals the close resemblance to Hypotrachyna sinuosa, a widespread Andean species with similar lobes and chemistry. The new taxon, however, is readily distinguished by two morphological characters: (1) the complete absence of rhizines on the lower surface and (2) black marginal cilia that fork once to thrice at wide angles. Chemically it shares the salazinic acid medullary profile typical of the H. sinuosa complex, but the unique ciliation pattern supports its recognition as a separate species.[2]