Gyalectidium fantasticum
Gyalectidium fantasticum is a species of lichen-forming fungus in the family Gomphillaceae. It is a leaf-dwelling lichen known from widely separated locations in tropical America, including Paraguay and Costa Rica. The species is distinguished by its unusually broad, flat reproductive structures that lie pressed against the thallus surface and are considerably wider than they are long, with a distinctive color pattern that grades from dark grayish-brown at the base to whitish-translucent above.
Taxonomy
Gyalectidium fantasticum was described as a new species in 2001 by Lidia Ferraro and Robert Lücking. The type was collected from the Itabo Private Reserve near Colonia Nueva Esperanza at an elevation of. In the original account, it was set apart from other members of the genus by its unusually broad, adnate, which are only slightly raised above the thallus surface.Description
The thallus forms rounded to irregular patches about 1–2 mm across. It is, with whitish, flattened, polygonal crystalline clusters in the center surrounded by thin greenish parts of the thallus; in some thalli it is described as almost smooth.Hyphophores are positioned at the edges of the thallus. Their scales are well developed, lying flat against the thallus surface, and are very broadly to almost, usually with two short projections on the sides. The scales are about 0.1–0.2 mm long and 0.7–1.2 mm broad, dark greyish brown to almost black at the base and whitish translucent above. Apothecia and pycnidia have not been reported for this species.