Calogaya alaskensis
Calogaya alaskensis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
Order: | Teloschistales |
Family: | Teloschistaceae |
Genus: | Calogaya |
Species: | C. alaskensis
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Binomial name | |
Calogaya alaskensis (Wetmore) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)
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Synonyms[1] | |
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Calogaya alaskensis is a species of crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It was first described as new to science in 2004 by Clifford Wetmore, who placed it in the genus Caloplaca.[2] Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred the taxon to Calogaya in 2013 following a molecular phylogenetics-led restructuring of the Teloschistaceae.[3]
Native to the high Arctic regions, especially in northern Alaska, this lichen is characterized by its distinctive areolate thallus that is pale orange in hue. The areoles are discrete and convex, measuring between 0.1 and 0.5 mm in diameter. Soralia, which are orange, originate from the centers of these areoles and eventually occupy them entirely. Although the apothecia are infrequently seen, when present, they are round, flat, and have an orange-colored disk, with diameters measuring around 0.4 μm. Within the asci, there are typically 8 spores, each with two locules and dimensions of 11.0–14.0 by 7.0 μm with an isthmus of 4.0 μm. Distinguishing features of Caloplaca alaskensis include the particular formation of its soralia and its discrete convex areoles.[4]
This species, found both on wood, bark, and rock in high Arctic areas, has often been mistaken for other species like Solitaria chrysophthalma and Leproplaca cirrochroa due to similarities but can be differentiated by several morphological attributes. Although its primary occurrences are noted in Alaska, it may be more broadly distributed in the high Arctic regions of Canada.[4]
References
- ^ "Synonymy. Current Name: Calogaya alaskensis (Wetmore) Arup, Frödén & Søchting, Nordic Jl Bot. 31(1): 38 (2013)". Species Fungorum. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ "Calogaya alaskensis (Wetmore) Arup, Frödén & Søchting". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ Arup, Ulf; Søchting, Ulrik; Frödén, Patrik (2013). "A new taxonomy of the family Teloschistaceae". Nordic Journal of Botany. 31 (1): 16–83. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2013.00062.x.
- ^ a b Wetmore, Clifford M. (2004). "The sorediate corticolous species of Caloplaca in North and Central America". The Bryologist. 107 (4): 505–520. doi:10.1639/0007-2745(2004)107[505:tscsoc]2.0.co;2.