Pyrenula albonigra is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Pyrenulaceae.[1] Found in Brazil, this species is notable for its pale grey, somewhat glossy thallus (the main body of the lichen) that also covers the ascomata (fruiting bodies), except for a prominent black opening (ostiole). The ascospores are 3-septate, meaning they are divided into four sections, and measure 17–20 μm by 7–9 μm.[2]

Pyrenula albonigra
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Eurotiomycetes
Order: Pyrenulales
Family: Pyrenulaceae
Genus: Pyrenula
Species:
P. albonigra
Binomial name
Pyrenula albonigra
Aptroot, D.S.Andrade & M.Cáceres (2014)
Map
Holotype: Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Mata do Junco, Brazil

The type specimen of Pyrenula albonigra was collected from the Mata do Junco Wildlife Refuge [pt] in Sergipe, Brazil, at an elevation of 150 m (490 ft). The thallus is thin, mineral grey, and lacks tiny pores called pseudocyphellae. It is bordered by a black line (a prothallus) up to 1 mm wide. The ascomata are superficial, hemispherical, 0.3–0.4 mm in diameter, and covered by the thallus except for a wide black area around the ostiole. The wall of the ascomata is carbonised (blackened) all around. The hamathecium, a layer of tissue in the ascomata, does not contain oil droplets. The ascospores are brown, irregularly arranged in the asci, and have diamond-shaped inner cavities separated from the wall by a thick layer.[2]

Pyrenula albonigra does not show any reaction under ultraviolet light, and no lichen products were detected using thin-layer chromatography. It grows on smooth bark in undisturbed Atlantic rainforests and is only known to occur in Brazil.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Pyrenula albonigra Aptroot, D.S. Andrade & M. Cáceres". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Aptroot, Andre; Andrade, Dannyelly Santos; Mendonça, Cléverton; Lima, Edvaneide Leandro De; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2015). "Ten new species of corticolous pyrenocarpous lichens from NE Brazil". Phytotaxa. 197 (3): 197–206. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.197.3.3.