Hydropunctaria symbalana
Hydropunctaria symbalana is a species of saxicolous, crustose lichen in the family Verrucariaceae. This Mediterranean marine lichen was first described as a new species in 1873 by the Finish lichenologist William Nylander, who classified it in the genus Verrucaria. The type specimen was collected in Cape Béar, in the Eastern Pyrenees region of France, near the Mediterranean Sea. Claude Roux transferred the taxon to the genus Hydropunctaria in 2020.
In addition to France, the lichen has been documented from marine communities in Greece, and in Turkey's Iskenderun Bay, where it lives in the littoral zone in maritime environments.
Description
Hydropunctaria symbalana is a crustose lichen that grows on the surface of its substrate. It displays a dark olive-brown to olive-black colouration and becomes somewhat gelatinous when wet. The thallus appears continuous or cracked, with a surface that is either smooth or, more commonly, covered with slightly raised, black warts or short ridges.The of the thallus is barely differentiated and contains a brown pigment that shows no reaction when treated with potassium hydroxide solution. The cells are arranged in vertical rows throughout the thallus. The medulla features distinctive pillars of dark brown to black tissue that often extend to the thallus surface.
The reproductive structures of H. symbalana are perithecia, which appear as black, largely immersed bodies within measuring up to 0.45 mm wide. These perithecia project from the surface with a characteristic crater-like ostiolar region. Each perithecium has a thick that extends to the base-level, and a black, roughly spherical measuring 0.16–0.22 mm across. The consists of and, with interascal filaments absent. The hymenial gel stains blue when treated with iodine, indicating an amyloid reaction.
The asci are eight-spored and club-shaped in form. They do not react with iodine and are, meaning they have a specialised double-wall structure that aids in spore discharge. The wall is thickened above, featuring an, and dehisces by extruding an to form a delicate – a characteristic known as the Verrucaria-type. The are single-celled, hyaline, oblong-ellipsoid in shape, and measure 12–16 by 6–8 μm. The pycnidia are immersed in the thallus with colourless walls and ostioles, producing conidia. The is. Standard lichen spot tests show no reactions, indicating the absence of secondary metabolites in its chemistry.