Neoprotoparmelia amerisidiata
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| Neoprotoparmelia amerisidiata | |
|---|---|
_Figure_4.jpg) | |
| Image of holotype specimen; scale bar = 1 mm | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Parmeliaceae |
| Genus: | Neoprotoparmelia |
| Species: | N. amerisidiata |
| Binomial name | |
| Neoprotoparmelia amerisidiata Garima Singh & Aptroot 2018 | |
Neoprotoparmelia amerisidiata is a species of corticolous (bark dwelling) and crustose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae.[1] Found in the southeastern United States, it was formally described as a new species in 2018 by Garima Singh and André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected by James Lendemer in the Sapelo Island Wildlife Management Area (Sapelo Island, Georgia); here the lichen was found growing on oak bark. It has a thin, shiny, pale olive-green to olive-grey thallus with numerous isidia. Secondary chemicals in the lichen that are detectable with thin-layer chromatography include alectoronic acid (major), and lesser to trace amounts of dehydroalectoronic acid and β-alectoronic acid. The specific epithet amerisidiata refers to both its North American distribution and the presence of isidia. It is known from North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida.
Neoprotoparmelia amerisidiata was formally described in 2018, when molecular data showed that several North-American specimens long treated as part of the tropical species Protoparmelia isidiata represented a genetically distinct lineage. Because the group clusters with other tropical-subtropical members of the recently erected genus Neoprotoparmelia, Garima Singh and André Aptroot transferred the taxon to that genus and published it as a new species. The holotype was collected on live oak (Quercus) bark on Sapelo Island, Georgia; the specific epithet combines 'America' with 'isidiata', referring to the continent where it occurs and to the abundance of isidia on its surface. Phylogenetically the species belongs to the subfamily Protoparmelioideae of the large lichen family Parmeliaceae, but it differs from the arctic-temperate genus Protoparmelia by its tropical affinity, branched paraphyses and production of alectoronic acid-type compounds.[2]
Morphologically, N. amerisidiata is most similar to the neotropical N. brasilisidiata. It is distinguished by having stouter isidia (0.07–0.11 mm wide versus mostly ≤0.08 mm) and by its restricted distribution in the southeastern United States. No apothecia have been seen, so the description rests on vegetative characters, chemistry and DNA barcodes (ITS and mtSSU). The absence of apothecia is typical of several isidiate species in the genus and does not affect placement because ascus characters are known from related taxa.[2]