Hypotrachyna Lichen

Parmelia pseudosinuosa

Parmelia pseudosinuosa Asahina, 1951, p. 329.

P. anaptychioides Kurokawa in Hale and Kurokawa, 1964, p. 165. [Type collection: Pico Trujillo, Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic, Wetmore 3617 (MSC, holotype; US, isotype).]

TYPE COLLECTION.—Shimohirano-mura, Prov. Shinano, Japan, Takahashi 99 (TNS, holotype).

DESCRIPTION.—Thallus adnate, 3–9 cm in diameter, light mineral gray; lobes linear-elongate, 1–3 mm wide; upper surface plane, sorediate, the soralia mainly subterminal, capitate, 1–2 mm in diameter; lower surface moderately rhizinate, the rhizines dichotomously branched. Apothecia rare (not seen in Dominica); spores 6–8×8–10μ.

CHEMISTRY.—Cortex K+ yellow (atranorin); medulla K–, C–, KC– or KC+ faint rose, P + red (protocetraric acid).

WORLD DISTRIBUTION AND HABITATS.—West Indies, Chile, South and West Africa, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Hawaii; on trees (conifers or hardwoods at mid to higher elevations (200–2,500 m).

This small, rather inconspicuous lichen was first described from Japan but appears to be pantropical in distribution, occurring in montane habitats. It is never abundant. The most important features are the subterminal soredia and the P+ red reaction caused by protocetraric acid. Parmelia rockii or P. laevigata are superficially similar but in general have a larger thallus and a P– reaction. Reexamination of the type of P. anaptychioides showed that it is apparently a smaller form of P. pseudosinuosa and not a distinct species.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED.—Hale collection: 20 (35458, 35488).

Hypotrachyna pseudosinuosa

Parmelia pseudosinuosa Asahina, 1951:329. [Type collection: Shimohirano-mura, Shinano, Japan, Takahashi 99 (TNS, lectotype).]

Parmelia anaptychioides Kurokawa in Hale and Kurokawa, 1964:165. [Type collection: Pico Trujillo, Dominican Republic, Wetmore 3617 (MSC, holotype; US, isotype).]

Thallus closely adnate, light mineral gray, 3–9 cm in diameter; lobes sublinear, short and sometimes crowded, 1–4 mm wide; upper surface plane, continuous, sorediate, the soralia capitate, mainly subterminal; lower surface moderately rhizinate. Apothecia rare, adnate, 2–4 mm in diameter; spores 6μ–8μ × 8μ–10μ.

CHEMISTRY.—Cortex K+ yellow, medulla K−, P+ orange red (atranorin, protocetraric acid).

DISTRIBUTION.—Mexico, West Indies, Peru, South Africa, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

HABITAT.—On tree trunks and small branches (hardwoods, Pinus) in secondary forests at 1800–2200 m elevation.