Amandinea pilbarensis
Amandinea pilbarensis is a little-known species of crustose lichen in the family Physciaceae, First described in 2020, it is found in Australia. It is similar to Amandinea polyxanthonica, but can be distinguished by its smaller and the presence of calcium oxalate and thiophanic acid in the medulla.
Taxonomy
Amandinea pilbarensis was formally described by the Australian lichenologist John Elix in 2020. The type specimen was collected in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, southwest of the De Grey River, east of Port Hedland, on siliceous rock. The specimen was collected by Alexander Clifford Beauglehole in August 1965. The species name refers to its type locality.Description
Amandinea pilbarensis is characterised by a crustose, - thallus, which can spread up to 15 mm wide and 0.1 mm thick. Angular to irregularly shaped individual range from 0.1 to 0.5 mm wide, with the tendency to become weakly radiate at the margin. Its upper surface, white to pale cream in colour, is and lacks a. Containing calcium oxalate, the medulla appears white. Cells of the measure 6–12 μm in diameter.Ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 mm wide, the apothecia are in form, transitioning from immersed to broadly adnate, sometimes appearing sessile and constricted at the base, dispersed, rounded. Black and, the disc is either plane or becomes convex with age. The thin, persistent often has adhering necrotic thalline fragments. In a sectional view, the outer zone is dark brown, and measures 20–30 μm thick; the inner zone is pale brown to colourless.
The brown measures 5–8 μm thick. Colourless to pale brown, the has a thickness of 40–60 μm. With a thickness of 38–48 μm, the colourless hymenium is not, and the shares similar characteristics, being 10–15 μm thick and colourless. Sparsely branched paraphyses have a width of 1.2–2 μm, with apices 3–5 μm wide and brown caps. The Bacidia-type asci typically contain eight spores. Mature are Buellia-type, pale brown to brown, ellipsoid, measuring 8–13 by 5–7 μm, and show constriction at the septum ; the outer spore-wall is smooth. Immersed have a black ostiole. Measuring 12–20 by 0.7 μm, the are filiform, curved.
Amandinea santantaoensis is somewhat similar in appearance to A. pilbarensis, but differs in having a pale yellow to pale yellow-brown surface colour; longer, curved conidia measuring 22–32 by 0.7 μm; and in containing 4,5-dichlorolichexanthone instead of thiophanic acid.