''Cora davidia'' is a species of
basidiolichen
Basidiolichens are lichenized members of the Division (taxonomy), division Basidiomycota within the subkingdom Dikarya of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Fungus, Fungi. They form a diverse yet much smaller group of lichens than the far more commo ...
in the family
Hygrophoraceae
The Hygrophoraceae are a family (biology), family of fungi in the order (biology), order Agaricales. Originally conceived as containing white-spored, thick-gilled agarics (gilled mushrooms), including ''Hygrophorus'' and ''Hygrocybe'' species (th ...
. It was
formally described
A species description is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species, typically articulated through a scientific publication. Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differ ...
as a new species in 2016 by Bibiana Moncada, Leidy Vargas-Mendoza, and
Robert Lücking
Robert Lücking (born 1964) is a German lichenologist, known for his extensive research on foliicolous lichens (lichens that live on leaves) and his significant contributions to the taxonomy, ecology, and biodiversity of fungi and lichens. He e ...
. The
specific epithet
In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...
''davidia'' honours mycologist
David Leslie Hawksworth
David Leslie Hawksworth (born 1946 in Sheffield, UK) is a British mycologist and lichenologist currently with a professorship in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Madrid, Spain and also a Scientific Associate of The Natural History Mu ...
, "in recognition of his nomenclatural work on ''
Dictyonema
''Dictyonema'' is a genus of mainly tropical basidiolichens in the family Hygrophoraceae.
The ''Dictyonema'' symbiosis
Most lichens are a symbiosis between an ascomycota, ascomycete fungus and a photosynthetic green alga. However, a small perc ...
''." The lichen occurs above elevations of in the northern Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, where it grows as an
epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...
on the twigs of small trees and shrubs in somewhat shaded locales.
References
davidia
Lichen species
Lichens described in 2016
Lichens of Colombia
Lichens of Ecuador
Taxa named by Robert Lücking
Basidiolichens
Taxa named by Bibiana Moncada
{{Hygrophoraceae-stub