''Lecanora vainioi'' is a species of
crustose lichen in the family
Lecanoraceae. It is found in Brazil, where it
grows on
granitic rocks. It was
described as a new species in 1986 by Finnish botanist Heino Vänskä. The
epithet
An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
''vainioi'' honours lichenologist
Edvard Vainio
Edvard August Vainio (born Edvard Lang; 5 August 185314 May 1929) was a Finnish lichenologist. His early works on the lichens of Lapland, his three-volume monograph on the lichen genus ''Cladonia'', and, in particular, his study of the cla ...
(1853–1929), who did pioneering work on the Brazilian lichens.
Description
The
crust-like thallus of ''Lecanora vainioi'' ranges in colour from yellowish-white to very pale yellowish grey. The
areolae are initially tightly attached (adnate) and cushion-shaped (pulvinate), but later merge so that the crust surface becomes irregularly wrinkled (verrucose) and partly rimose (containing clefts, cracks, or fissures).
produced by the lichen include
atranorin,
epinorin, and
zeorin
Zeorin is a triterpene with the molecular formula C30H52O2 which occurs in many lichens
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus, fungi species in a mutu ...
.
Habitat and distribution
''Lecanora vainioi'' grows 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, or ...
s and boulders. It prefers habitats that are near humid coasts, as well as
woodland savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
in drier inland regions. It has only been reported from Brazil.
See also
*
List of ''Lecanora'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10555920
vainioi
Lichen species
Lichens described in 1986
Lichens of Brazil