Chrysothrix occidentalis
Chrysothrix occidentalis is a species of saxicolous dust lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. This yellow lichen occurs in Western Australia in open Eucalyptus forests.
Taxonomy
It was formally described as a new species in 2007 by Australian lichenologists John Alan Elix and Gintaras Kantvilas. The type specimen was collected from the Darling Plateau in the Brookton Highway Nature Reserve in Western Australia at an altitude of, where, in Eucalyptus woodland, it was found growing on a sheltered laterite ledge. The species name, occidentalis, means "west", and refers to the lichen's distribution in Western Australia.
Description
Chrysothrix occidentalis has a powdery, crust-like appearance that ranges in colour from bright yellow to yellow-green or yellow-orange. It does not have a protective outer layer. Its primary lichen products include leprapinic acid, with smaller amounts of calycin, vulpinic acid, and pulvinic dilactone.
Habitat and distribution
Chrysothrix occidentalis is found in various places in the southwestern region of Western Australia. It typically grows on protected granite or laterite ledges within open Eucalyptus forests, ranging in altitudes between. Some lichens species frequently found alongside Chrysothrix occidentalis include Buellia substellulans, Lecanora farinacea, Ramboldia petraeoides, Xanthoparmelia antleriformis, and X. tasmanica.