Calopadia editae Vezda ex Chaves & Lücking
Mycobank MB 517742
Thallus foliicolous or corticolous, continuous or marginally dispersed into rounded, confluent patches, up to 50 mm across and 20–40 µm thick, ecorticate, smooth, pale grey to brownish grey. Apothecia rounded, 0.5–1 mm diam. and 250–350 µm high; disc initially plane but becoming convex in old apothecia, light brown and with thick, pale yellowish to creme-colored pruina; margin distinct, rather thick and prominent when young, creme-colored. Excipulum 40–70 µm broad. Hypothecium 50–100 µm high, light brown. Apothecial base sordid brown to aeruginous. Epithecium thin, 5–10 µm high, granular, pale yellowish brown. Hymenium 100–130 µm high, colourless. Asci 90–110 x 30–35 µm. Ascospores single, oblong-ellipsoid, muriform, 50–80 x (15–)20–30 µm, 2.5–4 times as long as broad, colourless. Campylidia sessile, 0.4–0.6 mm broad; lobe well-developed, hood-shaped, grey but white to pale yellow pruinose; socle not apparent. Conidia filiform with clavate apex, 3–7-septate, 40–60 x 1–1.5 µm.
Calopadia editae is externally similar to C. perpallida (Nyl.) Vezda, another pantropical species. However, the ascospores in the latter are longer and mostly exceed 100 µm in length. The ascospores of C. editae are similar in size to those of C. fusca (Müll. Arg.) Vezda and relatives, but these species lack pruina on the apothecia (Lücking, 2008).
Antonín Vezda wished to dedicate this beautiful species to the Hungarian lichenologist Edit Farkas, but due to illness did not have the opportunity to formally publish it before he died in 2008. Since we have, meanwhile, found the species in several localities across the tropics, we take up Vezda's original name for this taxon and validate it here.
The new species appears to have a wide tropical distribution, as it has also been found in collections from Costa Rica and the Galápagos Islands (Bungartz et al., unpubl. data). The available collections are either foliicolous or corticolous and found in more or less exposed microsites at low to mid elevations.
Type:—TANZANIA: Morogoro Region: Submontane rainforest on the SE slope of Mt. Kanga, along Mkange stream; 850–1200 m; foliicolous; Mar 1989, Farkas 89110 (holotype PRA).
Additional specimens examined (paratypes):—COSTA RICA. Limón: Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, Manzanillo Section (La Amistad Caribe Conservation Area), Manzanillo; Lücking 17098a (F, INB).
Sicut Calopadia perpallida sed ascosporis brevioribus differt.