Xanthoparmelia isidiovagans


Xanthoparmelia isidiovagans is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is known to occur in Spain and Turkey.

Taxonomy

First found in Spain, it was formally described as a new species in 2005 by lichenologists Oscar Blanco, Ana Crespo, Pradeep Divakar, and John Elix. The type specimen was collected in Torremocha del Pinar at an elevation of. Here the lichen was found growing as a vagrant on the soil in open forest dominated by Juniperus thurifera and. The specific epithet isidiovagans alludes to its resemblance to the American species Xanthoparmelia vagans, from which it differs by the presence of isidia.

Description

The yellowish-green thallus of Xanthoparmelia isidiovagans reaches a diameter of, comprising elongated, linear lobes measuring wide. It contains several secondary metabolites, including stictic acid as a major metabolite, usnic acid, norstictic acid, constictic acid, and cryptostictic acid as minor metabolites, and trace amounts of peristictic acid.
This species can be readily distinguished from the similar X. pseudohungarica by three key features: the presence of globose isidia on its upper surface, its black lower surface, and the presence of the stictic acid in its medulla, which provides a distinctive chemical profile compared to its relative.

Habitat and distribution

Initially described from Spain, Xanthoparmelia isidiovagans was reported from two localities in Eskişehir Province, Turkey. Both sites receive abundant sunlight and feature scattered Juniperus excelsa subsp. excelsa trees. Several lichen species were commonly found growing on soil in these areas, including Aspicilia hispida, Cladonia foliacea, C. rangiformis, and Cetraria aculeata. Additionally, Aspicilia desertorum was observed on small rocks at both locations, while Xanthoparmelia pokornyi was exclusively found on soil at the first site. Cetraria islandica was also discovered growing on soil in areas protected by J. excelsa subsp. excelsa at this first location. These sites share similar climatic conditions, vegetation patterns, and dry characteristics with the type locality of X. isidiovagans.