''Protoroccella'' is a fungal
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
in the family
Roccellaceae.
It consists of the single species ''Protoroccella minima'',
a rare
fruticose lichen found in Chile that grows on cactus.
Taxonomy
The genus was originally
circumscribed by the German lichenologist Gerhard Follmann in 1995. He proposed the genus to contain the species originally named ''Roccella minima'' by
Rolf Santesson in 1944.
However, the name was not
validly published, because the name was not accompanied by a
description
Description is any type of communication that aims to make vivid a place, object, person, group, or other physical entity. It is one of four rhetorical modes (also known as ''modes of discourse''), along with exposition, argumentation, and narr ...
or of the taxon in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
,
which was a requirement of the
nomenclatural rules at the time. In 2001, L. Sánchez-Pinto and Margot Schulz published the name,
but again invalidly.
Later in 2001, Follmann published the genus name validly.
''Protoroccella follmannii'' is a species that was proposed for inclusion in the genus in 2001. This species, found growing on the ribs of the cactus ''
Copiapoa atacamensis'' in
Antofagasta
Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669.
Once claimed by Bolivia follo ...
, was also not validly published.
Description
''Protoroccella minima'' is a
fruticose lichen, meaning it has a bushy, branched appearance. The branches grow up to 3 mm tall and are a pale, whitish-grey colour. The tips of the branches are club-shaped () and slightly warty (), and the branches themselves may be partially or completely hollow inside.
The
ascomata (fruiting bodies) are flat or slightly wavy and measure between 0.5 and 1.5 mm in diameter. These ascomata can sometimes divide into smaller sections. The spores are small, measuring 9–15
μm long and 3–4 μm wide. ''Protoroccella minima'' also has numerous
conidiomata, which are structures that produce asexual spores.
Chemically, the lichen reacts to certain
spot tests, with the and inner tissue (
medulla) showing a yellowish-green to orange colour when treated with
potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash.
Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which utili ...
solution. The main chemical compound present in the lichen is
psoromic acid, which is one of the
secondary metabolite
Secondary metabolites, also called ''specialised metabolites'', ''secondary products'', or ''natural products'', are organic compounds produced by any lifeform, e.g. bacteria, archaea, fungi, animals, or plants, which are not directly involved ...
s the lichen produces.
Habitat and distribution
''Protoroccella minima'' is a rare species known to occur only in northern Chile, where it grows on cacti.
References
{{Taxonbar , from1=Q102038006 , from2=
Roccellaceae
Arthoniomycetes genera
Lichen genera
Taxa described in 2001