''Calogaya alaskensis'' is a species of

crustose lichen Crustose lichens are lichens that form a crust which strongly adheres to the Substrate (biology), substrate (soil, rock, tree bark, etc.), making separation from the substrate impossible without destruction. The basic structure of crustose lichen ...

in the family

Teloschistaceae The Teloschistaceae are a large family (biology), family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class (taxonomy), class Lecanoromycetes in the division (botany), division Ascomycota. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, althoug ...

. It was first described as new to science in 2004 by Clifford Wetmore, who placed it in the genus '' Caloplaca''. Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred the

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

to '' Calogaya'' in 2013 following a

molecular phylogenetics Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

-led restructuring of the Teloschistaceae. Native to the high Arctic regions, especially in northern

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, this lichen is characterized by its distinctive thallus that is pale orange in hue. The are discrete and convex, measuring between 0.1 and 0.5 mm in diameter.

Soralia Soredia are common reproductive structures of lichens. Lichens reproduce asexually by employing simple fragmentation and production of soredia and isidia. Soredia are powdery propagules composed of fungal hyphae wrapped around cyanobacteria or g ...

, which are orange, originate from the centers of these areoles and eventually occupy them entirely. Although the apothecia are infrequently seen, when present, they are round, flat, and have an orange-colored , with diameters measuring around 0.4

μm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...

. Within the asci, there are typically 8 spores, each with two and dimensions of 11.0–14.0 by 7.0 μm with an of 4.0 μm. Distinguishing features of ''Caloplaca alaskensis'' include the particular formation of its

soralia Soredia are common reproductive structures of lichens. Lichens reproduce asexually by employing simple fragmentation and production of soredia and isidia. Soredia are powdery propagules composed of fungal hyphae wrapped around cyanobacteria or g ...

and its discrete convex areoles. This species, found both on wood,

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

, and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

in high Arctic areas, has often been mistaken for other species like '' Solitaria chrysophthalma'' and '' Leproplaca cirrochroa'' due to similarities but can be differentiated by several morphological attributes. Although its primary occurrences are noted in Alaska, it may be more broadly distributed in the high Arctic regions of Canada.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q25412850, from2=Q10440397 Teloschistales Lichen species Lichens described in 2004 Lichens of Subarctic America Taxa named by Clifford Wetmore