''Lecanora lichexanthona'' is a species of

crustose Crustose is a habit of some types of algae and lichens in which the organism grows tightly appressed to a substrate, forming a biological layer. ''Crustose'' adheres very closely to the substrates at all points. ''Crustose'' is found on rocks a ...

and

saxicolous A saxicolous lichen is a lichen that grows on rock. The prefix "sax" from the Latin means "rock" or "stone". Characteristics Saxicolous lichens exhibit very slow growth rates. They may develop on rock substrates for long periods of time, giv ...

(rock-dwelling) lichen in the family

Lecanoraceae The Lecanoraceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the order Lecanorales. Species of this family have a widespread distribution. Taxonomy Lecanoraceae was circumscribed by German lichenologist Gustav Wilhelm Körber in 1855. Genera According ...

. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2000 by lichenologist Roland Guderley. The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

was collected by

Klaus Kalb Klaus Kalb (born 1942) is a German lichenologist and an authority on tropical lichens. Biography Klaus Kalb was born in Nuremberg in 1942 and grew up in southern Bavaria. From 1960 to 1965 he studied biology, chemistry, and geography at ...

in a closed

cerradão Cerradão is a type of dry forest found in Brazil, associated with the cerrado savanna ecoregion. Structure Cerradão is a drought-resistant ("xerophitic") type of forest, with relatively sparse and slender trees. It includes species that are fou ...

between

Rio Verde de Mato Grosso Rio Verde de Mato Grosso is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Its population was 19,973 (2020) and its area is 8,152 km². Rio Verde (which means "Green River" in English), how it's popularly called a ...

and

Coxim Coxim is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located in the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Its population was 33,459 (2020) and its area is 6,412 km². It was founded in 1729. It is located at the confluence of ...

where it was found growing on

siliceous rock Siliceous rocks are sedimentary rocks that have silica (SiO2) as the principal constituent. The most common siliceous rock is chert; other types include diatomite. They commonly form from silica-secreting organisms such as radiolarians, diatoms, ...

. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''lichexanthona'' refers to the presence of the chemical

lichexanthone Lichexanthone is an organic compound in the structural class of chemicals known as xanthones. Lichexanthone was first isolated and identified by Japanese chemists from a species of leafy lichen in the 1940s. The compound is known to occur in ma ...

as a major

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

in the lichen. Other compounds in the lichen are

atranorin Atranorin is a chemical substance produced by some species of lichen. It is a secondary metabolite belonging to a group of compounds known as depsides. Atranorin has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxic, antioxidant ...

, hybocarpone,

constipatic acid Constipatic acid is a fatty acid found in several lichen species. It was isolated, identified, and named by Douglas Chester and John Alan Elix in a 1979 publication. The compound was extracted from the Australian leafy lichen called '' Xanthop ...

, and norlichexanthone (the last three occurring as minor compounds). ''Lecanora lichexanthona'' is only known to occur in cerradão formations in central Brazil, at altitudes between .

References

lichexanthona Lichen species Lichens described in 2000 Lichens of West-Central Brazil {{Lecanorales-stub

See also

References