Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2023 | 15(2): 22764–22766

 

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8303.15.2.22764-22766

#8303 | Received 04 December 2022 | Final received 13 January 2023 | Finally accepted 10 February 2023

 

 

 

New record of an usneoied lichen Usnea hirta (L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg. from India

 

K.S. Vinayaka 1, Archana R. Mesta 2  & N. Rajeshwari 3

 

1 Department of Botany, Shri Venkataraman Swamy College, Vidyagiri, Bantwala, Dakshina Kannad, Karnataka 574211, India.

2,3 Department of Botany, Sahyadri Science College, Shimoga, Karnataka 577201, India. 

1 ks.vinayaka@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 archu.mesta@gmail.com, 3 rajeshwaribabu02@gmail.com

 

 

Editor: Anonymity requested.            Date of publication: 26 February 2023 (online & print)

 

Citation: Vinayaka, K.S., Archana R. Mesta & N. Rajeshwari (2023). New record of an usneoied lichen Usnea hirta (L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg. from India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(2): 22764–22766. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8303.15.2.22764-22766

 

Copyright: © Vinayaka et al. 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: We are thankful to management and principal of SVS College, Bantwal and Sahyadri Science College Shimoga for providing the facilities. We also thankful to Karnataka Forest Department for permission and Dr. S. Nayaka, NBRI for encouragement to carry out the study.

 

 

 

Lichens are the first members of the barren rocky regions to colonize and are good forest health indicators in the tropical forest regions of the world. Western Himalaya and Western Ghats are lichen hotspots in the country (Upreti et al. 2005). Usnea is one the largest fruticose genera of lichen forming fungi around the world within the family Parmeliaceae (Lucking et al. 2016). The genus Usnea is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Stevens 2004; Clerc 2006; Galloway 2007; Hinds & Hinds 2007; Herrera 2016; Ohmura et al. 2017). Among the usneoid lichens, the genus Usnea was segregated into five subgenera (Motyka 1938). About 300 Usnea species were reported from all over the world Ohmura (2012) and 57 species are known from India (Shukla et al. 2014). Usnea species which are primarily saxicolous have restricted distribution patterns compared to corticolous species (Clerc & Herrera-Campos 1997). The genus Usnea can be described by fruticose thallus with cartilaginous central axis. The species of Usnea are differentiated on the basis of pigmentation on cortex and medulla, branching types, density of branches, and different morphological parts.

The present study is based on the lichens collected from different parts of Karnataka during 2008–2020. The lichens were collected from different altitudes and all types of substrata such as barks, twigs, and rocks. The collected samples were taken to the laboratory, air dried, and stored in the lichen herbarium of Kumadvathi First Grade College and Sri Venkataramana Swamy College, Karnataka. The voucher specimen was submitted to NBRI, Lucknow (LWG). Ecological parameters such as temperature, humidity, altitude, latitude were noted at the place of collection. The morphological characters were noted down. The anatomical characters studied with the help of binocular microscope. The chemical tests (K, C, KC, P, I test, and TLC in solvent system A) were carried out to identify the secondary metabolites present in it (White & James 1985; Orange 2001). The pH of the bark was estimated by the procedure of Kricke (2002) using digital pH meter (Multi-Parameter PTTestrTM 35 Oakton, USA). The identification of Usnea was done on the basis of morphological, anatomical, and chemical characters (Awasthi 2007; Ohmura 2012).

 

Usnea hirta (L.) F.H.Wigg.

Collection: Karnataka, Chikkamagaluru,Mullayanagiri (13.64330N & 73.98400E) on the twigs of Hypericum mysurense at an altitude of 1,780m. Average temperature is 24°C and humidity 90–92%.

Voucher No: LHKFGC0015

Description: Thallus fruticose, corticolous, branching sympodial, main branches stiff, segments terete to strongly ridged, thallus erect and shrubby, 5–7cm long, light to dark brown in color, absence of papillae, cortex single layered, central axis solid, pseudocyphellae and soredia absent, isidia present, apothecia not found.

Ecology: Ramicolous, collected from the shola forests of Mullayanagiri on the twigs of Hypericum mysurense with smooth bark with pH 6.36±0.3

Chemistry (Colour Test): Medulla K-, P-, I-, C-, KC-

Chemicals: Norstictic acid, usnic acid, and murolic acid

Distribution: Europe, North America (South California, Arizona), Philippines, Australia, eastern Africa, India (Western Ghats).

 

 

Differences with other Usnea species

 

Papillae

Isidia

Apothecia

Medulla

Secondary metabolites

U. hirta

-

+

Not found

Dense

Usnic acid and norstictic acid

U. ghattensis

+

-

Terminal

Loose

Only usnic acid

 

 

Key to Usnea species of Karnataka

 

1. Central axis solid ……........................................................... 2

2. a. Thallus dichotomously branched up to the apices..........3

   b. Thallus sympodially branched ...................................... 4

3. Thallus surface with anuular, irregular cracks and dot like to linear pseudocyphellae ...................................... U. rigidula

4. Branching sympodial or subsympodial, with secondary branches, thallus erect bushy ................................................ 5

5. a. Thallus with pseudocyphellae ....................................... 6

    b. Thallus lacking pseudocyphellae and red pigment absent .................................................................................. 10

6. a. Thallus pseudocyphellate, isidiate but lacking soredia ... 7

    b. Thallus pseudocyphellate lacking both soredia and isidia. 9

7. Cortex single layered and much branched ........................... 8

8. a. Thallus surface tuberculate, lacking papillae, five different chemical strains present ......................................... U. undulata

    b. Central axis thick, medulla compact and thin ......... U. hirta

9. Cortex single layered, lacking tubercles, medulla K-, thallus stiff, lateral branches dense, apically blackish ....... U. ghattensis

10. a. Thallus with apothecia ................................................. 11

      b. Thallus lacking apothecia .............................................. 16

11. Lacking soredia and isidia, cortex single layered ............. 12

12. a. Thallus surface papillate and tuberculate .................... 13

      b. Thallus surface lacking papilla and tubercule ................ 14

13. Thallus yellow to yellowish brown, branches somewhat inflated, medulla K+ red ......................................... U. orientalis

14. Thallus large, not sub subcoralloid, central axis circular in cross section .......................................................................... 15

15. Lateral spinules and fibrils rigid, dense, ± uniform in length .............................................................................. U. luridorufa

16. Medulla K+ red (norstictic/salazinic acid) ....................... 17

17. Thallus both isidiate and sorediate, inflated in apical region, smooth to maculate, stictic acid complex in medulla .................................. U. leucospilodea

 

 

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References

 

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