Opuscula Philolichenum, 11: 26-30. 2012. *pdf available online 3January2012 via (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/philolichenum/) Canoparmelia cinerascens belongs in the genus Parmelinella (Parmeliaceae, lichenized Ascomycota) 1 MICHEL NAVARRO BENATTI ABSTRACT. – Canoparmelia cinerascens, a species previously included in the genus Canoparmelia is actually a member of the genus Parmelinella. As such, the new combination Parmelinella cinerascens (Lynge) Benatti & Marcelli is proposed here. The species is described in detail and an epitype is selected to aid interpretation due the poor condition of the holotype. KEYWORDS. – Axillary cilia, Parmelinella wallichiana, salazinic acid INTRODUCTION Canoparmelia Elix & Hale, a segregate of the eciliate parmelioid lichen genus Pseudoparmelia Lynge (Hale 1976), is characterized by the typically gray or rarely yellow-green thalli containing cortical atranorin and chloroatranorin (or rarely usnic acid), the 3.05.0 mm rotund or subrotund eciliate lobes, the white medulla, the black lower surface with naked brown margins and simple concolorous rhizines, small ellipsoid ascospores 1014 68 m, and fusiform or bifusiform conidia 710 m in length (Elix 1993, Elix et al. 1986). When the genus Parmelinella was segregated from Parmelina Hale, only three species originally in Parmelina had been recombined into Parmelinella (Elix & Hale 1987). However, the species with small axillary cilia discussed in this paper was misplaced in Pseudoparmelia sensu Hale, and later automatically transferred to Canoparmelia. Working with small Parmeliaceae species from the Southeastern Region in Brazil, the author noted that the isidiate and salazinic acid containing species Canoparmelia cinerascens did not fit well with the concept of the genus proposed by Elix et al. (1986). By analyzing the morphological and chemical characters of the species, including analysis of the type collection, we have concluded that due to their ascospore and conidia dimensions, the constant presence of small axillary cilia and the medullary chemistry place the species in the current concept of the genus Parmelinella Elix & Hale (1987). Parmelinella was segregated from the genus Parmelina Hale by Elix and Hale (1987). It was characterized by these authors by the following combination of characters: broad rotund lobes, emaculate thallus, sparse simple cilia mostly restricted to the axils, simple black rhizines, ellipsoid spores, short cylindrical conidia, and medullary salazinic and consalazinic acids. However, the concept of this genus, like many others segregated in this family, has changed in some characteristics since its publication. Subsequent authors have broadened this concept to one consisting of the following characters: the grey to yellowish or greenish gray thalli containing atranorin (with some species containing variable amounts of chloroatranorin and secalonic A acid), 112 mm rotund to subrotund lobes with mainly short axillary simple cilia, the absence of maculae and pseudocyphellae, white to sometimes partially yellowish medulla, a black to brown lower surface, with brown, naked or papillate margins, usually simple rhizines, globose to ellipsoidal ascospores 428 416 m, and bacilliform to short filiform or weakly bifusiform cylindrical conidia 59 m in length (Divakar & Upreti 2005, Elix 1994, Elix & Hale 1987, Eliasaro & Adler 2000, Hale 1976, Kurokawa & Lai 2001, Louwhoff & Elix 2002, Marcelli 1993, Marcelli & Ribeiro 2002, Pooprang et al. 1999, Swinscow & Krog 1988). 1 MICHEL NAVARRO BENATTI – Instituto de Botânica, Núcleo de Pesquisa em Micologia, Caixa Postal 68041, 04045-972 São Paulo, SP, Brazil – e-mail: [email protected] 26 MATERIALS AND METHODS The morphological and anatomical characters of the specimens were analyzed using standard stereoscopic and compound microscopes. Anatomical sections, including those of apothecia and pycnidia when present, were made with a razor blade by hand. The chemical constituents were checked by spot tests with potassium hydroxide (K), sodium hypochlorite (C) and para-phenylenediamine (P), and also examined under UV light (360 nm). Chemical constituents of the additional specimens examined were identified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) using solvent C (Bungartz 2001), and compared with the data on labels left with the specimens. TAXONOMIC SECTION Parmelinella cinerascens (Lynge) Benatti & Marcelli, comb. nov. Mycobank #563647. FIGURE 1. Parmelia cinerascens Lynge, Arkiv för Botanik 13: 104. 1914. TYPE: PARAGUAY: Paraguari, 2.viii.1893, ad arborem sat solitariam, in ripa rivuli campi, G.O. Malme 1498 (S!, holotype). EPITYPE: BRAZIL. SÃO PAULO: Ubatuba Municipality, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Picinguaba, restinga woods facing the sea, 1 m, 23º21’41.1”S 44º50’53”W, 13.i.2007, A.A. Spielmann 3155 (SP!, epitype [designated here]; S!, isoepitype). Pseudoparmelia cinerascens (Lynge) Hale, Phytologia 29:189. 1974. Canoparmelia cinerascens (Lynge) Elix & Hale, Mycotaxon 27: 278. 1986. Description. – Thallus lobed, pale gray to greenish gray becoming dusky gray in herbarium, up to 11.0 cm diam., submembranaceous, corticolous. Lobes irregularly ramified to subdichotomous, 1.03.5 mm wide, contiguous to imbricate, closely adnate and adpressed, with rotund or subrotund apices, the margins entire to partly subcrenate, ±plane, upper surface continuous, smooth in the distal parts, sometimes slightly rugose in the older parts. Maculae weak to absent, punctiform, laminal. Cilia restricted mainly to the lobes axils, scarce, simple and very short (< 0.5 mm length). Lacinulae absent, small adventitious lobules absent to ±common, usually in the older parts. Soredia and pustulae absent. Isidia granular to short cylindrical, 0.050.30 ca. 0.05 mm, smooth, simple, erect, firm to caducous, concolor with brown or black apices, eciliate, laminal. Medulla white, without K+ pigments. Lower surface black, sometimes mottled with dark brown spots, shiny, slightly rugose, sometimes slightly veined or papillate. Marginal zone pale to dark brown, shiny, 1.0–3.0 mm wide, attenuate, slightly rugose or veined, usually naked but sometimes sparsely papillate or rhizinate approaching the center. Rhizines dark brown to black, pale brown near the margins, simple and acute, 0.100.50 (0.70) ca. 0.05 mm, frequent, ±evenly distributed but partially crowded at some parts. Apothecia concave, sessile, imperforate, eventually isidiate, ascospores ellipsoid, (6,0−) 8,0−12,0 × 4,0−6,0 µm, epispore ca. 1,0 µm. Pycnidia scarce, submarginal, with black ostioles. Conidia baciliform to ± weakly bifusiform, 5.0−9.0 × ca. 1,0 µm. Chemistry. – TLC/HPLC: cortical atranorin and chloroatranorin; medullary salazinic acid, and consalazinic acid, with traces of protocetraric acid and of an unknown substance (agreeing with a label of J. Johnston with the holotype, 31-VII-1985; the protocetraric acid and the unknown substance might be contaminants). Spot tests: cortex K+ yellow, UV; medulla K+ yellow turning dark red, C−, KC−, P+ yellow, UV. Discussion. – Parmelinella cinerascens was reported for Brazil (Hale 1976, Marcelli 2004) from the States of Minas Gerais, Pernambuco and São Paulo (Hale 1976, Ribeiro 1998, Jungbluth 2006), Paraguay (Lynge 1914), Uruguay and Venezuela (Feuerer 2005). Outside of South America it has been reported only from India (Divakar & Upreti 2005). The type specimen is completely reduced to small fragments, leaving it almost useless for taxonomic study. Due this and the absence of any other specimen left by Lynge at S, we decided to nominate an epitype that clearly showed concordant characteristics, also from South America and similar latitude (as is most of the addition material examined here). 27 Figure 1. Holotype and epitype of Parmelinella cinerascens. A, the very damaged, almost pulverized type collection. B, detail of the largest fragments found, on stereomicroscope. C, the same fragments seen from lower side. D, the tiny simple marginal cilia on a fragment of the holotype. E, the full specimen selected as epitype, before being cut in half; the right half is at SP, while the left half is at S. F and G, details of the tiny marginal cilia on the epitype; the first on an old lobe and the second on a young lobe. 28 We also confirmed that the ascospores seen in some scattered apothecia on the fragments of the holotype of Parmelinella cinerascens were in accordance to those mentioned by Hale (1976), and not the larger ascospores originally described by Lynge (1914). Although difficult to observe due the poor condition of the type and their scarcity and very small size, axillary cilia were found on some of the fragments (figure 1D). This confirms one of the typical characteristics of species of Parmelinella (Elix & Hale 1987, Elix 1993, Divakar & Upreti 2005, Benatti & Marcelli 2007). These small cilia were found on all specimens examined, with similar dimensions and distribution patterns (usually < 0.5 mm long, and near always axillary). Due their position and size, it is not surprising that these structures were easily overlooked or misinterpreted. Parmelinella wallichiana (FH-Tayl!, holotype), is also isidiate, has axillary cilia and a dark lower cortex. It is found in Asia, Africa and Australia, with a few references to Brazil (Eliasaro & Adler 2000, Eliasaro 2001, Canêz 2005, Jungbluth 2006). Due to morphological and chemical similarities, the two species might occasionally be confused with one another. The few works that report P. wallichiana from South America (Hale 1976, Ribeiro 1998, Jungbluth