Vulpicida
Vulpicida J.-E. Mattsson & M.J. Lai, 1993
| Common name | Sunshine Lichens | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Field Characters | Small, leafy chlorolichens. Thalli bright yellow, composed of frilly, ruffled, or wrinkled lobes, loosely attached to ascending. Upper cortex smooth to wrinkled, to 1 cm wide. Lower cortex pale yellow to bright yellow to darkening centrally, with sparse rhizines. Medulla yellow. Reproductive strategies vary from fragmentation to soredia to apothecia. Pycnidia common. | ||
| Similar species & genera |
Candelaria: tiny lobes and thalli, typically less than 0.5 cm across.
Polycaulionia, Xanthomendoza, Xanthoria: orange due to anthraquinones. Shade forms may be tricky to diagnose, but the K+ purple reaction will help. |
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| Ecology | Two species in Alberta are almost entirely epiphytic or on downed wood, and occur in forested regions. The single terricolous species is limited to the mountains. Only Vulpicida pinastri can be found in urban centres (Haughland et al. 2022). | ||
| Chemistry | It takes three yellow acids to give this lichen its sunshiny hue. All spot tests apparently negative. The cortices are KC+Y (usnic acid) but the reaction is very difficult to observe due to the yellow color. Medulla with vulpinic and pinastric acids (all spot tests negative). | ||
| Molecular support |
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| Links |
Species recorded in Alberta: 3
- V. canadensis (Räsänen) J.-E. Mattsson & M. J. Lai Syns.: Cetraria canadensis, Tuckermannopsis canadensis
- V. juniperina (L.) J.-E. Mattsson & M. J. Lai (Saag et al. 2014)
- V. pinastri (Scop.) J.-E. Mattsson & M. J. Lai Syns.: Cetraria pinastri, Tuckermannopsis pinastri
DICHOTOMOUS KEY
1a. Soredia present along lobe margins, common especially in boreal Alberta…..Vulpicida pinastri
1b. Esorediate; rare or restricted to the mountains…..2
2a. Apothecia common; growing on trees in dry forests…..Vulpicida canadensis
2b. Apothecia rare, on calcium-rich ground in alpine and subalpine…..V. juniperina
RENR Students: Know Vulpicida pinastri– be able to key this species out or recognize it (it is also covered in Brodo et al. 2001 and Goward et al. 1994).
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
