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Cladonia subradiata
EOL Text
Primary thallus: squamulose, persistent to evanescent; squamules: 2-4 x 1-2 mm, crenulate to laciniate, esorediate to granular below and at margins; podetia: whitish gray, 0.8-3 cm long, 0.4-1 mm thick, unbranched or sparingly branched; tips: blunt to acute in young podetia, mature podetia forming cups; cups: 0.6-3 (-4) mm wide, shallow, producing hymenium-tipped prolixferations along margins, occasionally deformed and laterally flattened; surface: thinly corticate at base, sorediate (but mostly covered by soredioid or isidioid structures) inside cups and below hymenial discs, also with slightly elongated, tiny (or larger) microsquamules (0.1-0.2 mm long) and granules towards base; Apothecia: uncommon, dark brown (but the more frequent primordia pale brown), 2-3 mm wide; ascospores: fusiform, 10-12 x 2 micro meter; Pycnidia: common, either on young basal squamules or at tips of podetia, bell-shaped to pyriform, strongly constricted at base, with hyaline gelatin; conidia: 7-10 x 1 µm; Spot tests: K-, C-, KC-, P+ red, UV-; Secondary metabolites: fumarprotocetraric acid and accessory convirensic acid.; Habitat and ecology: on rotten wood and earth banks, in tropical to warm-temperate regions; World distribution: Africa, Asia, Australasia, North America and South America; Sonoran distribution: Chihuahua and Sinaloa.; Notes: Cladonia subradiata is one of the most widespread species of Cladonia in the American tropics and subtropics (Ahti 2000), and it is common in Mexico south of the study area. The northern limit is not well known and the specimens from California could not be identified with certainty. It is very similar to C. coniocraea but is whitish and the soredia are loosely attached, isidioid, especially on the basal parts of the podetia.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Lichen Unlimited: Arizona State University, Tempe. 2002-2011 |
Source | http://symbiota.org/nalichens/taxa/index.php?taxon=53475 |
Rounded Global Status Rank: G4 - Apparently Secure
Reasons: This species is common in open, sandy habitats on the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plain. Distribution in the tropics is unknown.