''Sticta isidiokunthii'' is a species of

foliose lichen Foliose lichen is one of the morphological classes of lichens, which are complex organisms that arise from the symbiotic relationship between fungi and a photosynthetic partner, typically algae. This partnership allows lichen to live in divers ...

in the family

Peltigeraceae The Peltigeraceae are a family of lichens in the order Peltigerales. The Peltigeraceae, which contains 15 genera and about 600 species, has recently (2018) been emended to include the families Lobariaceae and Nephromataceae. Many Peltigeraceae ...

. Found in the South American

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, it was formally described by Bibiana Moncada and

Robert Lücking Robert Lücking (born 1964) is a German lichenologist. He is a leading expert on foliicolous lichens–lichens that live on leaves. Life and career Born in Ulm in 1964, Lücking earned both his master's (1990) and PhD degree (1994) at the Univer ...

in 2012. 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 the first author in the

Chingaza National Natural Park Chingaza National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Chingaza) is located in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, northeast of Bogotá, Colombia in the departments of Cundinamarca and Meta. The elevation in the park, to the e ...

( Cundinamarca) at an altitude of . The lichen occurs in the Andes of Bolivia and Colombia at elevations between . It grows on the bark of shrubs and small trees, often associated with

liverwort The Marchantiophyta () are a division of non-vascular land plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of ...

s in the genera ''

Metzgeria ''Metzgeria'' is a genus of thalloid liverworts in the family Metzgeriaceae. Taxonomy The genus was named in honor of Johann Metzger (1771–1844), a German copper engraver and art restorer from Staufen im Breisgau, in Baden-Württemberg, a fr ...

'' and '' Microlejeunea'', as well as lichens from the genera ''

Erioderma ''Erioderma'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. They are commonly called mouse ears or felt lichens, and are small, pale brown to olive-brown foliose cyanolichens with a fuzzy upper surface that have the cyanobacter ...

'', ''

Leptogium ''Leptogium'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Collemataceae. It has about 110 species. Species *''Leptogium acadiense'' *''Leptogium adnatum'' – South America *'' Leptogium andegavense'' *''Leptogium antarcticum'' *'' Lep ...

'', and ''

Sticta ''Sticta'' is a genus of lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in tropical areas, and includes about 114 species. These lichens have a leafy appearance, and are colored brown or black. ''Sticta' ...

''. 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 ...

refers to its resemblance to '' Sticta kunthii'' and the fact that it makes

isidia An isidium is a vegetative reproductive structure present in some lichens. Isidia are outgrowths of the thallus surface, and are corticated (i.e., containing the outermost layer of the thallus), usually with a columnar structure, and consisting ...

References

isidiokunthii Lichen species Lichens described in 2012 Lichens of Colombia Taxa named by Robert Lücking {{Peltigerales-stub