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Additional Resources:

Family:

Chrysothricaceae (Ascomycota)

Primary Citation:

Two new species of Chrysothrix from eastern North America.
Opusc. Philolichenum 8: 51-58. 10/04/2010

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Type Specimens:

Specimen 1: Holotype -- J. C. Lendemer
Specimen 2: Isotype -- J. C. Lendemer
Specimen 3: Isotype -- J. C. Lendemer

Description:

Type: U.S.A. NORTH CAROLINA. CAMDEN CO.: Dismal Swamp State Park, Dismal Swamp Natural Area, S of Kim Saunders Ditch at 5 mile marker, Atlantic white cedar peatland with sparse hardwoods (Acer, Magnolia, Nyssa), 10.xii.2009, on Chamaecyparis thyoides, J.C. Lendemer 20207 & S. Williams (NY, holotype; isotypes to be distributed as Lichenes East. N. Amer. Exs. VIII: 373).

Description : (from Harris & Ladd 2008 as Chrysothrix flavovirens Tønsberg s.l.) - Thallus crustose, leprose, thin, on bark of conifers, dull yellow or greenish yellow (becoming whitish yellow in herbarium), unstratified, ± spherical or irregular granules coalescing into small discontinuous patches, more often forming extensive patches, one-few granules thick; rhizohyphae absent; photobiont chlorococcoid, to 8.5 µm across. Chemistry: spot tests negative, UV+ dull to bright orange; rhizocarpic acid. Granules spherical to ± irregular, 15-25(-30) µm across, “loose” (i.e., fungal hyphae linking granules absent). Apothecia not seen. Pycnidia not seen.

Illustrations: Color Illustrations: Harris and Ladd (2008, Opuscula Philolichenum, 5: 32, plate 1, figure 3); Lendemer and Elix (2010, Opuscula Philolichenum, 8: 54, plate 2). Scanning Electron Micrographs: Lendemer and Elix (2010, Opuscula Philolichenm, 8: 53, plate 1).

Etymology: (From Lendemer & Elix 2010) - The epithet “chamaecyparicola” denotes the strong affinity of the species for bark of the Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) Britton et al.).

Chemistry: (From Lendemer & Elix 2010) - Rhizocarpic acid. Spot tests: K-, KC-, C-, P-, UV+ orange.

Ecology and distribution: (From Lendemer & Elix 2010) - Chrysothrix chamaecyparicola is a striking and distinctive member of the lichen biota of conifer swamps in temperate and sub-tropical eastern North America. It is often the dominant lichen, covering the trunks of trees in this high humidity, low light habitat. Although the most impressive displays of this species are found in cedar swamps near the coast, the species also occurs on a wide variety of other conifers in inland swamps. Other known porophytes include cypress (Taxodium), hemlock (Tsuga), and pine (Pinus). The species appears to be most common in the middle-Atlantic region (New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania), which is also the center of the distribution of its typical host, Chamaecyparis thyoides. It is probable that the scattered nature of its occurrences in the coastal plain and Piedmont outside of this region reflect the collection bias that often impacts sterile crustose lichens. We have not revised any specimens that substantively extend the geographic distribution of the species as mapped by Harris and Ladd (2008: 41, plate 3, figure 9).

Discussion: (Modified from Lendemer & Elix 2010) - The species was described to accommodate the North American populations previously referred to Chrysothrix flavovirens (e.g., Harris & Ladd 2008). The name C. flavovirens was first used for North American material by Harris & Lendemer (2005) who recognized that many collections of Chrysothrix from southern New Jersey and adjacent Pennsylvania could not be accommodated satisfactorily under the names then used for corticolous species in North America (e.g., C. candelaris (L.) J.R. Laundon). When reporting C. flavovirens from North America the authors were careful to note that the material was chemically discordant from European populations in lacking the flavovirens-unknown (which was subsequently shown to be diffractaic acid by Elix and Tønsberg (2004). In light of the fact that the absence of diffractaic acid corresponds to the difference in geographic distribution, we believe that inclusion of the North American populations in C. flavovirens is untenable and recognize them here as a distinct species.