Punctelia
Punctelia Krog, 1982
| Common name | Specked Shield Lichens |
|---|---|
| Field Characters | Medium to large leafy chlorolichens. Thalli loosely appressed to slightly ascending, with rounded to slightly angular lobes 3-10 mm across. Upper cortex grey, green-grey to browned, often with laminal pseudocyphellae that develop into soralia. Wrinkled to slightly reticulate. Lower cortex white to tan to black, with short, simple rhizines that resemble a “buzz cut” concolorous with the lower cortex. Apothecia rare in Alberta species. |
| Similar genera |
Flavopunctelia: yellow-green upper cortex (usnic acid, KC+ yellow), lower cortex tan. In shaded situations the two taxa can be confused.
Parmelia: lobes typically more angular, smaller, lower cortex black and rhizines typically branching. |
| Ecology | Epiphytic, on trees and shrubs of all varieties as well as downed wood (P. caseana) or saxicolous (P. stictica). Occasional across the boreal and parkland regions, including urban naturalized parks (P. caseana, e.g., Edmonton, Haughland et al. 2022), or restricted to the southern foothills and mountains (P. stictica) |
| Chemistry | Upper cortex K+yellow, PD- or PD+ pale yellow, C-, KC-, UV- (atranorin). Medulla variable, K-, PD-, C- or C+ pink or red, KC- or KC+ red, UV- (±lecanoric acid, ±gyrophoric acid with decarboxygyrophoric acid), ±fatty acids). |
| Molecular support |
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| Links |
Species recorded in Alberta: 2 (one of which has not been formally reported, welcome P. stictica). Limited molecular data to date suggests we have P. caseana, not P. jeckeri as previously thought (Haughland et al. 2022), but more material should be sequenced.
- P. caseana (Lendemer & Hodkinson 2010) Syn: Punctelia subrudecta in part (California [NA])
- P. stictica (Delise ex Duby) Krog
DICHOTOMOUS KEY
1a. Epiphytic or on downed wood, mostly uniformly grey or green-grey…..Punctelia caseana
1b. Saxicolous, browned at least in part with pseudocyphellae contrasting strongly…..Punctelia stictica
RENR Students: Know Punctelia caseana– be able to key this species out or recognize it (it is also covered in Brodo et al. 2001 and Goward et al. 1994 under P. subrudecta).
Resources
Brodo, I. M. 2016. Keys to the lichens of North America. Revised and Expanded. Yale University Press, in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Brodo, I. M., S. D. Sharnoff, and S. Sharnoff. 2001. Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven and London.
Goward, T., B. McCune, and D. Meidinger. 1994. The Lichens of British Columbia Illustrated Keys. Part 1 – Foliose and Squamulose Species. Ministry of Forests Research Program, Province of British Columbia.
Haughland, D.L., A. Hood, D. Thauvette, S.A. Toni, M. Cao, J.D. Birch, J. Wasyliw, L. Hjartarson, M. Villeneuve, A. Stordock, D.A. Fielder, M. Lewis, D. Evans, D. Royko, R. Bolduc, H. Webster, J.D. Singh, K.A. Schafer, S. Goyette, H.E. Davidson & C. Shier. 2022. Getting to know our neighbours: 108 urban lichens of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and an initial assessment of their utility as community-science indicators. Opuscula Philolichenum 21: 33-181. https://www.nhm2.uio.no/botanisk/lav/RLL/PDF/R43924.pdf
Lendemer, J. C. & B. Hodkinson. 2010. A new perspective on Punctelia subrudecta (Parmeliaceae) in North America: Previously rejected morphological characters corroborate molecular phylogenetic evidence and provide insight into an old problem. The Lichenologist 42: 405-421.
