''Wetmoreana decipioides'' is a rare species of

saxicolous This glossary of mycology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to mycology, the study of fungi. Terms in common with other fields, if repeated here, generally focus on their mycology-specific meaning. Related terms can be found ...

(rock-dwelling)

crustose lichen Crustose lichens are lichens that form a crust which strongly adheres to the Substrate (biology), substrate (soil, rock, tree bark, etc.), making separation from the substrate impossible without destruction. The basic structure of crustose lichen ...

in the family

Teloschistaceae The Teloschistaceae are a large family (biology), family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class (taxonomy), class Lecanoromycetes in the division (botany), division Ascomycota. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, althoug ...

. Found in

Gangwon Province, South Korea Gangwon Province (), officially Gangwon State (), is a administrative divisions of South Korea, Special Self-Governing Province of South Korea. It is known as the largest and population density, least densely populated subdivision of South Korea. ...

, it was described as a new species in 2011. The lobate

thallus Thallus (: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. A thallus usually names the entir ...

of the species is orange in colour and grows radiately in rosettes with marginal , covered by smaller, irregularly arranged, often overlapping lobes in the centre.

Taxonomy

This species was originally described in 2011 by Ulf Arup as a member of the large genus ''

Caloplaca ''Caloplaca'' is a lichen genus comprising a number of distinct species. Members of the genus are commonly called firedot lichen, jewel lichen.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, gold lichens, "ora ...

''. The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...

was collected from the inner part of the

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

of the Sorak Mountains in

. It was found on almost vertical rock, shaded from running water, and probably at least partly with a higher pH than true

siliceous Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant ...

rocks. 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 ...

''decipioides'' refers to its similarity with '' Caloplaca decipiens''. Arup and colleagues transferred the

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

to the genus '' Wetmoreana'' in 2013. It was briefly placed in the genus ''Fulgogasparrea'' later that year, but a study by Wilk and Lücking in 2024 synonymised ''Fulgogasparrea'' with ''Wetmoreana'', confirming the placement of this species in ''Wetmoreana''.

Description

The thallus of ''Wetmoreana decipioides'' is orange in colour and grows radiately in rosettes with marginal , covered by smaller, irregularly arranged, often lobes in the centre. The lobes are slightly convex to rather flat, slightly wider toward tips, irregularly branched one to three times, divided by narrow but distinct furrows, and 0.5–2.3 mm long and 0.2–0.6 mm wide. The surface is more or less smooth to finely granular near lobe tips, and partly covered with very thin white . The

soralia Soredia are common reproductive structures of lichens. Lichens reproduce asexually by employing simple fragmentation and production of soredia and isidia. Soredia are powdery propagules composed of fungal hyphae wrapped around cyanobacteria or g ...

are more or less or irregular in outline, laminal or terminal on central lobes, initiating as spherical to elongate

isidia An isidium (plural: isidia) is a tiny, wart- or finger-like outgrowth on the thallus surface of certain lichen species. It is one of two principal types of vegetative reproduction, vegetative reproductive structures in lichens, the other being ...

that soon dissolve into

soredia Soredia are common reproduction, reproductive structures of lichens. Lichens asexual reproduction, reproduce asexually by employing simple fragmentation and production of soredia and isidia. Soredia are powdery propagules composed of fungus, fung ...

. The species produces

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 (

lichen product Lichen products, also known as lichen substances, are organic compounds produced by a lichen. Specifically, they are secondary metabolites. Lichen products are represented in several different chemical classes, including terpenoids, orcinol deri ...

s) such as

parietin Parietin is the predominant cortical pigment of lichens in the genus '' Caloplaca'', a secondary product of the lichen '' Xanthoria parietina'', and a pigment found in the roots of curled dock (''Rumex crispus''). It has an orange-yellow color ...

(major),

fallacinal Fallacinal is an organic compound in the structural class of chemicals known as anthraquinones. It is found in many species of the lichen family Teloschistaceae. History In 1936, Japanese chemists Mitizo Asano and Sinobu Fuziwara reported on the ...

(major), vicanicin (major), isofulgidin (major),

teloschistin Fallacinol (teloschistin) is an organic compound in the structural class of chemicals known as anthraquinones. It is found in some lichens, particularly in the family Teloschistaceae, as well as a couple of plants and non lichen-forming fungi. ...

(major), and traces of

emodin Emodin (6-methyl-1,3,8-trihydroxyanthraquinone) is an organic compound. Classified as an anthraquinone, it can be isolated from rhubarb, buckthorn, and Japanese knotweed ('' Reynoutria japonica'' syn. ''Polygonum cuspidatum''). Emodin is part ...

parietinic acid Parietinic acid is an organic compound in the structural class of chemicals known as anthraquinones. It is found in many species of the lichen family Teloschistaceae. The substance was first reported in the literature by the German chemist Walter ...

, and caloploicin.

Habitat and distribution

The species was collected under an overhang of a tall rock with a river running below. The rock face was exposed to the south and there were no trees giving any shade. The lichen flora is abundant at the locality and ''Wetmoreana decipioides'' was common in suitable places away from both rain and running water. The

Seoraksan National Park Seoraksan National Park () is a national park in South Korea. It is listed by the South Korean government with UNESCO as a tentative World Heritage Site. Located on the east-central Korean peninsula, the park includes the Dinosaur Ridge, In ...

, where the type locality is located, has many habitats included mainly

old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...

s on steep mountain slopes dominated by deciduous trees. The climate is somewhat

continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

with warm summers (up to 36°C) and cold winters (down to –17°C). The annual precipitation is 1300 mm, and the mountains are snow-covered from November to April.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q25991270 , from2=Q17071686 Teloschistales Lichen species Lichens described in 2011 Lichens of Asia Taxa named by Ulf Arup