Niebla tesselata
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| Niebla tesselata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Ramalinaceae |
| Genus: | Niebla |
| Species: | N. tesselata |
| Binomial name | |
| Niebla tesselata Spjut (1996) | |
Niebla tesselata is a fruticose lichen that grows on rocks along the foggy Pacific Coast of in the Northern Vizcaíno Desert of Baja California.[1] The epithet, tesselata, is in reference to the cobblestone pattern on the surface of the thallus branches.
Niebla tesselata is distinguished by the thallus divided into tubular branches from a pale rusty orange pigmented holdfast, the branches generally narrowly conical, simple, densely covered by black dot-like pycnidia[2][3] positioned centrally on areolae, and by containing sekikaic acid, with triterpenes.[1] The species (N. tesselata) is unique in the genus for its simple branches and for the central development of pycnidia on the raised areolate surface, as opposed to developing along the cortical ridges as generally recognized for the genus Niebla. Also, pycnidia are not confined to the upper parts of the branches as in most species of the genus; instead, they extend to the base of the thallus. Apothecia (ascocarp) are unknown.[1]