Caloplaca streimannii
Caloplaca streimannii is a little-known species of saxicolous, crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in New South Wales, Australia, it is characterised by its powdery soredious mass and numerous tiny apothecia.
Taxonomy
The lichen was first formally described in 2007 by the lichenologists Sergey Kondratyuk and Ingvar Kärnefelt. The type specimen was collected in New South Wales, specifically at Blue Waterholes in the Caves Creek area, located west-northwest of Adaminaby. The specimen, found at an altitude of, was growing on a semi-exposed rock face in limestone outcrops within a grassland. The species epithet honours Heiner Streimann, a prominent and prolific lichen collector in Australia.Description
The thallus of Caloplaca streimannii typically appears as large citrine-yellow spots on rock surfaces. It is primarily with poorly developed that soon become covered by a soredious mass. These areoles are very small, measuring 0.1–0.3 mm wide, and quickly become convex, eventually disintegrating into -like formations approximately 60–75 μm wide. The convex areole-like formations within the soredious mass are 0.5–1.5 mm wide, divided by cracks 0.1–0.2 mm wide, and vary in colour from yellow to whitish or greenish-yellow, sometimes appearing bluish-grey.Apothecia are numerous in this species; they measure 0.2–0.5 mm in diameter. They are in nature, with a that is somewhat shiny and dull brownish-green-yellow or greenish-yellow with white inclusions. The is brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow, occasionally with sparse whitish. The hymenium is approximately 60 μm high, underlain by a very thin, hyaline.
are narrowly ellipsoid, with a relatively thin septum, typically measuring 11–13 by 4–5.5 μm, with the septum being 2–3 μm thick. Conidiomata have not been observed to occur in this species.
Caloplaca streimannii reacts K+ when tested with standard chemical spot tests. It contains parietin as a major secondary metabolite, as well as minor amounts of erythroglaucin and xanthorin.