Amandinea maritima Giralt, van den Boom & Elix
Mycobank MB 517731
Thallus corticolous, episubstratal, crustose, continuous, thin and smooth to moderately thickened, rugose to verrucose, whitish to creamy, covering large areas. Prothallus absent. Medulla not amyloid (I–), lacking calcium oxalate (H2SO4–). Photobiont chlorococcoid, 10–15 µm diam. Apothecia initially immersed-erumpent and apparently lecanorine, surrounded by a pseudothalline margin concolorous with the thallus, entire or cracked and discontinuous, becoming lecideine and sessile but remaining broadly attached, often contiguous, up to 0.6 mm diam. Disc black, epruinose, concave at first, then plane, rarely subconvex. Proper margin thick in young apothecia, becoming thinner, always prominent, persistent. Proper excipulum ± aethalea-type (Bungartz et al., 2007), 35–50 µm wide, prosoplectenchymatous, inner cells elongate, hyaline, outermost cells short, swollen and brown. Hymenium colourless, 50–70(–80) µm high, not inspersed with oil droplets. Hypothecium colourless, 75–100(–120) µm deep. Apical cells of the paraphyses 3–5(–6) µm diam., with dark brown cap. Asci 8-spored, Bacidia-type (Rambold et al., 1994). Ascospores Physconia-type, (9–)10.7–13.3(–15) × (4–)5.2–6.5(–7) µm (M = 12; 5.8; SD = 1.3; 0.6; n = 100), ellipsoid, straight or slightly curved, not constricted at septum, faintly microrugulate at 1000x; ontogeny of type A (Giralt, 2001). Pycnidia subimmersed, abundant, conidiophores type III (Vobis, 1980). Conidia filiform, curved, 12–20 × 0.5–1 µm. Secondary chemistry: nil or lichesterinic acid by HPLC (Elix et al., 2003).
The genus Amandinea was segregated from the genus Buellia on the basis of its filiform, curved conidia (Choisy, 1950; Scheidegger, 1993). Additional diagnostic characters have been proposed for the genus (Rambold et al., 1994; Sheard & May, 1997; Marbach, 2000; Mayrhofer & Sheard, 2002). It is a mid-sized cosmopolitan genus of ca. 50 species which is particularly well-represented in tropical and subtropical areas where it commonly occurs on bark and lignum rather than on rocks. Amandinea shows considerable variation in apothecium-type, hypothecium pigmentation and chemistry. Amandinea maritima is mainly distinguished by the initially erumpent apothecia with a pseudothalline margin, the colourless hypothecium and inner part of the proper excipulum and the small Physconia-type ascospores, with a fine microrugulate ornamentation. Related species include A. dakotensis (H. Magn.) P. May & Sheard and Buellia fouquieriensis Bungartz, corticolous species from North America. Like A. maritima, both have apothecia with an initial pseudothalline margin. However, the former is distinguished by the significantly wider (Bungartz et al., 2007), Buellia-type ascospores and the brown hypothecium (Sheard & May, 1997; Bungartz et al., 2007). Buellia fouquieriensis is mainly separated by the brown, subsquamulose to distinctly squamulose thallus and the brown hypothecium (Bungartz et al., 2007; see B. fouquieriensis).
The name reflects the typical habitat of this species.
Amandinea maritima is known only from coastal areas, including the western Mediterranean coastal areas from where it extends to the Atlantic coast of southern Portugal and the Canary Islands. It grows in coastal-dune areas mainly on Juniperus spp., accompanied by other typically maritime Mediterranean-Atlantic-Macaronesian species such as Caloplaca aegatica Giralt, Nimis & Poelt, Diploicia canescens (Dicks.) A. Massal., Endohyalina kalbii (Giralt & Matzer) Giralt, van den Boom & Elix, Rinodina anomala (Zahlbr.) H. Mayrhofer & Giralt and R. nimisii Giralt & H. Mayrhofer. Further associated species on Juniperus in the Canary Island locality include Bactrospora patellarioides (Nyl.) Almq., Lecanora sabinae Hern.-Padr. & Vänskä, Labrocarpon canariensis (D. Hawksw.) Etayo & Pérez-Ortega (on Pertusaria) and Thelopsis isiaca Stizenb.
Type:—ITALY: Sardinia: Sassari, Capo Punta Falcone; Felsabbrüche, Dornpolster-Heiden, Juniperus phoenicea-Bestände; Jul 1985, Nimis & Poelt (holotype GZU).
Additional specimens examined (paratypes):—SPAIN. Canary Islands: El Hierro, W of Sabinosa, E-side along road H1-500, SW of Montaña del Escobar, van den Boom 43015 (hb. van den Boom). Andalucía: Málaga, Costa del Sol, Playas de Manilva, Egea s.n. (BCN). PORTUGAL. Alentejo: Porto Covo, 1 km S of village; van den Boom 19164 (hb. van den Boom). Algarve: NW of Lagos, N of Carrapateira; van den Boom 32560 (hb. van den Boom).
Sicut Amandinea fouquieriensis, sed differt thallo crustaceo, albido vel cremeo, hypothecio et parte interni excipuli semper incoloribus, ascosporis typo Physconia.