Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Phaeographis dendritica (Ach.) Müll. Arg.

liquen de escritura, Script lichen

Phaeographis dendritica Photo: Frank Bungartz, CDF, 2008.
Phaeographis dendritica Photo: Frank Bungartz, CDF, 2008.

Thallus thin to moderately thickened, continuous to rimose-areolate, pale white or gray; surface ecorticate, pruinose; Apothecia immersed to ±prominent, lirellate; lirellae ±narrow, elongate, branched to distinctly stellate, not embedded into pseudostroma; labia thin, narrow, with a thick, distinct thalline rim; disc expanded, barely concave to flattened, with a white, farinose pruina; exciple thin, laterally deep yellowish brown to indistinctly carbonized; hymenium hyaline, inspers, I– or weakly I+ wine red; ascospores pale gray, soon brownish, I+ red or reddish brown, 8 per ascus, oblong to broadly fusiform, 25-45 x 6-9 µm, transversely septate, 6-7(-10) celled. Chemistry: Norstictic and connorstictic acid, K+ orange-red (crystals).

Sometimes confused with P. intricans, but with larger spores that have more than 3 septa, an inspers hymenium, an ecorticate thallus, and elongated lirellae not aggregated in pseudostromatic areas.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Fungi

Phylum
Ascomycota

Class
Lecanoromycetes

Order
Ostropales

Family
Graphidaceae

Genus
Phaeographis

Species
dendritica

Taxon category: Accepted

Taxon origin: Native

Status

Least concern

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Cosmopolitan, previously reported from Galapagos, but most original reports erroneous, based on misidentifications, few specimens confirmed, infrequent in the transition zone, also found again on Volcán Darwin at the high altitude dry zone above the cloud layer, on bark of Bursera graveolens, Psidiu

References

  • Weber, W.A. (1986) The Lichen Flora of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Mycotaxon 27: 451-497.
  • Elix, J.A. McCarthy, P.M. (1998) Catalogue of the Lichens of the Smaller Pacific Islands. Bibliotheca Lichenologica 70, J. Cramer, Berlin, Stuttgart, 361pp.
  • Bungartz, F. Lücking, R. & Aptroot, A. (2009) The lichen family Graphidaceae (Ostropales, Lecanoromycetes) in the Galapagos Islands. Nova Hedwigia 90: 1-44.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging the origin of the data.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Phaeographis dendritica", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=3136. Accessed 16 May 2024.