Lecanora prolificans Ivanovich, Hollinger & Printzen, 2025

Ivanovich, Cristóbal, Weber, Lilith, Palice, Zdeněk, Hollinger, Jason, Otte, Volker, Sohrabi, Mohammad, Sheehy, Steve & Printzen, Christian, 2025, A taxonomic revision of the lichen genus Lecanoropsis (Lecanoraceae), Phytotaxa 695 (1), pp. 1-56 : 24-27

Lecanora prolificans Ivanovich, Hollinger & Printzen , sp. nov. Fig. 9 .

MycoBank nº: 848534 Type:— U. S. A. Nevada: White Pine Co., Great Basin National Park, vicinity of Snake Creek Trailhead, along Shoshone Trail, in mixed conifer forest. 2505 m alt., 38°55.44’ N 114°15.096’ W, 17 July 2017, S. Leavitt 17.540 (FR-0183031!— holotype). Lecanomics

Code: 398.

Diagnosis Thallus typically episubstratal, amorphous and aggregated under apothecia as smooth uneven warts, pale yellow to greenish-grey. Apothecia very abundant with a tendency to fuse with neighbouring apothecia or to grow on top of each other forming “apothecial areoles”. Apothecial disc pale beige to almost black. Produces isousnic acid, some specimens producing in addition usnic acid.

Thallus commonly episubstratal, amorphous, aggregated under apothecia, sometimes areolate, areoles when present rounded to polygonal, smooth to warty, warts hemispherical, flat to weakly convex, pale yellow to grey, sometimes with a greenish tinge. Photobiont a chlorococcoid/trebouxoid alga. Apothecia rounded to deformed, with a tendency to fuse with neighbouring apothecia, and/or grow aberrantly large and uneven, extremely abundant, densely covering substrate, commonly overlapping each other, to the extent that the thallus is not visible, appressed or sessile, (0.3–)0.4– 0.8(–0.9) mm in diameter. Apothecial disc flat to convex, sometimes becoming flexuose on old apothecia, commonly pale beige to beige, sometimes darkening to almost black, commonly matte, rarely weakly glossy, epruinose or rarely with a white fine pruina. Apothecial margin in young apothecia, thin, subrugose, smooth to weakly crenulate, sometimes unevenly receding into hemispherical warts; in old apothecia unevenly receding to almost disappearing, rarely completely excluded, (0.03–)0.05–0.07(–0.1) mm wide. Whitish-grey. Amphithecium algal layer commonly continuous, filling the amphithecium and reaching the upper edge where the hymenium ends and the amphithecial cortex begins, rarely discontinuous and restricted to the mid-basal portion of the amphithecium. Algal layer and cortex usually inspersed with a thin layer of golden-brown granules. Amphithecial cortex variable, thin and even to sometimes widening at the base, moderately gelatinized (6–)9–23(–25) µm wide laterally, (12–)18–54(–62) µm wide basally, hyaline. Parathecium inapparent. Epihymenium typically hyaline, sometimes with streaks of yellow-golden to brown and greenish-black, containing a mixture of Cinereorufa -green and a brown pigment, covered by a thick epipsamma of golden-brown granules, generally with a thick layer of gel on top. Hymenium hyaline, sometimes faintly brown or rarely with streaks of brown pigment unevenly distributed in the hymenium, sometimes inspersed with golden-brown granules, (40–)45–65(–70) µm. Subhymenial layers hyaline, rarely with yellowish-golden brown crystals within the subhymenium, (60–)70–190(–220) µm. Paraphyses simple, rarely branching or anastomosing, ca. 1.5–2 µm wide, apices not to weakly capitate, ca. 2–3.5 µm wide, gel sheaths at apices ca. 3–3.5 µm wide, some pigmented green. Spores ellipsoid, simple, (8.5–)8.8–12.7(–15.5) × (3.5–)4.6–5.4(–7.0) µm. Conidia : Microconidia bacilliform-bent, 5– 8 × 2.0–2.7 µm; leptoconidia filamentous and curved, 15–20 × 0.7–1.2 µm; macro- and mesoconidia were not found.

Chemistry: Isousnic acid and occasionally usnic acid.

Substrate: Bark and wood.

Ecology: High elevation conifer woodlands, mainly above 2000 m alt.

Distribution: Southwestern U.S.A. (Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah); Southwestern Canada, the Alps, Finnish Lapland (Kilpisjärvi, 490 m alt.), the Russian Caucasus (Krasnodarskij Kraj, at 640 m alt) and single specimens known from Hyrcanian forests, north of Iran (Alborz Mountains).

Notes: Similar to Lecanoropsis albellula , but Lecanora prolificans ( Lecanora sp. D sensu Ivanovich et al., 2021) doesn’t appear to produce macroconidia, whereas Lecanoropsis albellula commonly produces reniform 0–3 septate macroconidia. In addition, Lecanora prolificans produces larger apothecia [0.4–0.8 (–0.9) mm in Lecanora prolificans , 0.28–0.29(–0.35) mm in Lecanoropsis albellula ] and higher subhymenial layers [70–190(–220) µm in Lecanora prolificans vs. 72–103(–130) µm in Lecanoropsis albellula ].

Darker apothecia of Lecanora prolificans can be confused with those of Lecanoropsis subravida due to their size and the shape of the margin, however L. subravida has a flatter disc, whereas Lecanora prolificans has a more convex to deformed disc, with tendency for aberrant growth. Also, the apothecia of L. prolificans usually densely cover the substrata, growing side by side, overlapping or fusing with each other, whereas Lecanoropsis subravida tends to produce single, isolated apothecia, and rarely forms groups and patches. Due to the similarity of Lecanora prolificans with Lecanoropsis albellula , we expect that many of the specimens stored in herbaria under the names Lecanora albellula or L. piniperda may in fact belong to L. prolificans , as is the case with specimens from NY cited below (See Discussion in p. 51).

Etymology: prolificans in Latin, means “proliferating” in relation to the large numbers of apothecia produced by all the studied specimens.

Additional specimens studied: FINLAND. Enontekiö: Kilpisjärvi, 489 m alt., 69.05424° N 20.76334° E, 28 July 2021, L. Weber MAL-10-4 ( H); GERMANY. Saxony, Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, Elbsandsteingebirge, Borkenkäferfläche am Reitsteig, 469 alt., 50°53.6120’N 14°18.7716’ W, 06 Nov. 2016, V. Otte 50699 ( GLM), Lecanomics code: 1109, 1110 & 1111; IRAN. Golestan Province: Kordkuy Co., ca 31 km along Kordkuy-Derazno Road, ca. 3 km from Derazno village, ca. 2430 m alt., 36°39.6868’ N 54°8.1041’ E, 01 August 2018, M. Sohrabi & C. Printzen 15031 (FR-0362740; ICH), Lecanomics code: 169; RUSSIA. Krasnodarskij Kraj, Apscheronskij rajon, 640 m alt., 44°11.9500’ N 39°57.4504’ E, 18 August 2016, V. Otte 771 (GLM-48595), Lecanomics code: 1098; U.S.A. Arizona: Coconino Co., Grand Canyon Nat. For., top of Grandview Trail, 1950 m, 36°03’ 30” N 112°13’ W, 11 July 1994, T. H. Nash III 35570 ( ASU); California: Inyo Co., Inyo National Forest, John Muir Wilderness, 3140 m alt., 37° 9.66’ N 118°33.78’ W, 08 October 2015, J. Hollinger & N. Noell 19788 (FR-0362741), Lecanomics code: 996; Mariposa Co., Yosemite Nat. Park, Mount Hoffman Marble outcrops, 100 m S of upper marble mound, Pinus contorta dominated forest with some Tsuga mertensiana and Abies magnifica , 2680 m, 37°49.793’ N, 119°30.561’ W, 21 September 2009, C. Printzen 12147 (FR-0362742); Riverside Co., Peninsular Range, San Jacinto Mts, 2692 m alt., 33°48.3949’ N 116°39.3065’ W, 28 May 2013, K. Knudsen 15604 (NY-1885533), Lecanomics code: 279; San Bernardino Co., Transverse Range, San Bernardino Mts, 1985 m alt., 34°13.1717’ N 117°7.3419’ W, 01 November 2013, K. Knudsen & J. Kocourková 16245 (NY-2101970), Lecanomics code: 274; Nevada, Elko Co., Ruby Mountains, Soldier Creek, 2743 m alt., 40°44.3640’ N 115°16.3440’ W, 28 August 2015, J. Hollinger & N. Noell 18883 (FR-0362743), Lecanomics code: 995; Lincoln Co., Highland peak, 2800 m alt., 37°53.94’ N 114°35.10’ W, 02 June 2016, J. Hollinger & N. Noell 12506 (NY-3816802), Lecanomics code: 273; 2835 m alt., 37°53.82’ N 114°35.22’ W, 02 June 2016, N. Noell 2785 (FR-0362744), Lecanomics code: 971; 2800 m alt., 37°53.94’ N 114°35.10’ W, 02 June 2016, J. Hollinger & N. Noell 12464 (FR-0362745), Lecanomics code: 977; Worthington Peak, 2625 m alt., 37°55.23’ N 115°36.81’ W, 21 June 2016, J. Hollinger 13417 (FR-0362746), Lecanomics code: 982; White Pine Co., Great Basin National Park, east of Mather Overlock, 2834 m alt., 39°01.3042’ N 114°15.8594’ W, 17 July 2017, S. Leavitt 17.652, 17.640, 17.641, 17.629 (FR-0362747; FR-0362748; FR-0183035; FR-vicinity of Snake Creek Trailhead, along Shoshone Trail, 2505 m alt., 38°55.44’ N 114°15.096’ W, 17 July 2017, S. Leavitt 17.540 (FR-0183031), Lecanomics code: 398; Utah: Summit Co., Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Uinta Mountains, High Uinta Wilderness Area, 2750 m alt., 40°56.8314’ N 110°44.7972’ W, 12 September 2016, S. Leavitt 16.611 (FR-0362750), Lecanomics code: 402; 3525 m alt., 40°51.9078’ N 110°29.7817’ W, 13 September 2016, S. Leavitt 16.619, 16.620 (FR-0362751; FR-0362752), Lecanomics code: 403, 404; Uintah Co., Ashley National Forest, vicinity of Leidy Peak, 3383 m alt., 40°46.0001’ N 109°49.0003’ W, 31 July 2009, W. Buck 55112 (NY-1136448), Lecanomics code: 282; Utah Co., Uimta National Forest, Lone Peak wilderness Area, between Silver Lake and Silver Glance Lake, 11 July 2011, S. Leavitt 5702 (FR-0362753), Lecanomics code: 410.

Descriptions of Lecanoropsis and related taxa

Figures

FIGURE 9. Lecanora prolificans. A, habitus. B, apothecial section in LCB. C, microconidia in Phloxine B. D, leptoconidia in Phloxine B. Specimens: A = U.S.A., Nevada, S. Leavitt 17.540 (FR-0183031; L398); B–D = S. Leavitt 17.640 (FR-0362748; L399). Scales: A = 500 µm; B = 20 µm; C & D = 10 µm.