Lecanoropsis coniferarum (Printzen) Ivanovich & 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 : 34-35

Lecanoropsis coniferarum (Printzen) Ivanovich & Printzen , comb. nov. Fig. 13A & B, 16E.

MycoBank nº: 847144

Basionym: Lecanora coniferarum Printzen, Bryologist 104 (3): 393 (2001).

Type:— U. S. A. New Mexico: Sierra Co., Black Range, Mimbres Mts., 2470 m alt., 28 May 1973, Nash 7101 (MIN-932866!— isotype, designated by Printzen 2001).

Description: see Printzen (2001)

Conidia : Macroconidia crescent shape, 9–12 × 3–4 µm; microconidia thin, curved 6–8 × 1–1.5 µm; leptoconidia filamentous, curved, 12–16 × 1–1.5 µm; mesoconidia were not found.

Notes: Albeit similar in appearance, L. coniferarum can be distinguished from L. subravida by overall larger [0.5–0.9 (–1.5) mm vs. 0.54–0.76(–0.85) mm in L. subravida ] apothecia with a whitish to bluish pruina (epruinose and occasionally with a fine white pruina in L. subravida ). Additionally, L. coniferarum epihymenial pigment is red-brown in water that reacts N + orange-red, whereas in L. subravida , the epihymenium is faint brown without an N-reaction. Lecanoropsis coniferarum has only been found in the U.S.A., whereas L. subravida has a main distributional range across Europe, with one occurrence in Yosemite National Park, California ( Hutten et al., 2013), and another studied specimen collected in California (NY-2203860, see under L. subravida ).

An unknown reddish-brown pigment was found in the epihymenium of L. coniferarum , which does not seem to fit any of the pigments described by Meyer and Printzen (2000) and Orange et al. (2001) ( Table 4). A similar reaction after N treatment was observed in pigmented specimens of L. albellula and L. sarcopidoides . Lecanoropsis coniferarum can be distinguished from these species by larger apothecia, a strongly widened amphithecial cortex [90–100 µm, up to 210 µm basally in L. coniferarum , 23–43(–48) µm in L. albellula and 22–27(–32) µm in L. sarcopidoides ] (see Table 2), and the fact that neither L. albellula nor L. sarcopidoides produces a red-brown, but rather a yellow-brown epihymenial pigment, sometimes mixed with Cinereorufa -green in L. albellula .

Selected specimens studied: MEXICO. Baja California del Norte: Guadalupe Isl., near the northern peak on ridge, In open Cupressus forest, on Cupressus guadalupensis , 1250 m, 29.0944 N 118.3111 W, 02 January 1996, T. H. Nash III 38324 ( ASU-L 005788); C. Wetmore 75836 (MIN-877305); U.S.A. Arizona: Apache Co., Apache Nat. For., Mount Baldy Wilderness area, trail from Phelp’s cabin along East Fork of Little Colorado River, on Abies , 3000 m, 33.925 N 109.517 W, 01 July 1990, B. Ryan & T. H. Nash III 26877 ( ASU); B. Ryan & T. H. Nash III 26899 ( ASU); Green Mt., on dead Pseudotsuga , 3080 m, 34.1167 N 109.5833 W, 26 July 1973, T. H. Nash III 7751-a ( ASU-L 008159); Cochise Co., trail from Rustler’s Park to summit of Fly’s Peak, Chiricahua Mountains, W of Portal, spruce-fir zone, 2591–3048 m, 31.88 N 109.23 W, 18 April 1957, W. A. Weber & S. Shushan 14102 ( COLO L-0020728); Huachuca Mts., N-side of Carr Peak, on dead wood, 2286 m, 31.4167 N 110.25 W, 14 September 1976, T. H. Nash III 14520 ( ASU-L 008181); Coconino Co., Humphrey Trail, 3380 m alt., 35°20.0880’ N 111°41.4120’ W, 08 August 2019, J. Hollinger, F. Bungartz & C. Parinella 23033 (FR-0183032; hb. Hollinger), Lecanomics Code: 1003; W side San Francisco Peaks, near the road to Snow Bowl, on Pseudotsuga menziesii , 2680 m, 35.3333 N 111.7 W, 14 July 1973, T. H. Nash III 7490 ( COLO L-0020722); San Francisco Peaks, Agassiz Peak, above Snow Bowl, NW slope, on wood, 3200 m, 35.3333 N 111.6833 W, 29 September 1981, V. Wirth 10998 & T. H. Nash III ( ASU); Gila Co., Mogollon Rim, NE end of Pine Canyon ca. 7 km NNE of Pine, dense forest of Pseudotsuga menziesii , Abies lasiocarpa , Pinus strobiformis , Acer grandidentum , on Pseudotsuga menziesii , 2000 m, 34.4417 N 111.4028 W, 19 September 1997, C. Printzen s.n. ( ASU; hb. Printzen); Pima Co., Rincon Section, Italian Spring, Saguaro Nat. Mon., on douglasfir snag, 32°13’42”N, 110°32’28”W, 21 June 1986, C. Wetmore 55039 (MIN-783330); California: Santa Clara Co., Blue Oak Ranch Reserve, 770 m alt., 37°23.7120’ N 121°44.4780’ W, 27 January 2018, J. Hollinger & K. Kellman 18734 (FR-0362766; hb. Hollinger), Lecanomics Code: 992; Montana: Mineral Co., Along Clark Fork River 4 km west of Superior, near Lozeau, 855 m alt., 47º07’ N 114º47’ W, September 1993, B. McCune 21124 (FR-0059705); Tulare Co., Crystal Cave Rd at Gen. Highway, Sequoia NP, steep S facing slope at bottom of valley, on sequoia log, 1676 m, 36°33’31” N 118°47’01” W, 11 May 1984, C. Wetmore 50727 (MIN-779627); Oreole Lake SW of Pine Top Mt., on incense cedar snag, 36°27’33” N 118°44’14” W, 21 May 1984, C. Wetmore 51211 (MIN-779611); Milk Ranch Peak at border of park E of headquarters, Arond peak with white fir, incense cedar, pines and rocks; on conifer stump, 1859 m, 36°29’11” N 118°46’51” W, 21 May 1984, C. Wetmore 51192 (MIN-779612); Colorado: Larimer Co., Cow Creek Valley N of Estes Park, Rocky Mts. NP, 40°24’43” N 105°33’44” W, 03 August 1984, C. Wetmore 53461 (MIN-877395); New Mexico: Otero Co., Sacramento Mountains, Cloudcroft, 18 May 1904, Shimek s.n. (MIN-895984).

FIGURE 13. Lecanoropsis coniferarum ( A & B), L. subravida ( C & D) and L. quercicola ( E & F). A, U.S.A., California, J. Hollinger & K. Kellman 18734 (FR-0362766; L 992), habitus. B, same specimen as A, apothecial section in LCB. C, Russia, Krasnodar Krai, V. Otte 771 ( GLM; L 291), habitus. D, same specimen as C, apothecial section in LCB. E, Germany, Schleswig-Holstein, C. Dolnik 2374 (FR-0362772; L 490), habitus. F, same specimen as E, apothecial section in LCB. Scales: A, C & E = 500 µm; B, D & F = 20 µm.