Violella sinensis (Kantvilas) C. J. Zhong & L. Hu, 2025

Violella sinensis (Kantvilas) C. J. Zhong & L. Hu comb. nov.

Fig. 2 View Figure 2

≡ Mycoblastus sinensis Kantvilas View in CoL , J. Jap. Bot. 86 (2): 59 (2011).

Diagnosis.

The species is characterized by having esorediate, areolate, verruculose to papillose thallus, hymenium heavily pigmented with Fucatus-violet pigment, brownish inner ascospore walls, and its chemistry (atranorin and fumarprotocetraric acid).

Specimens.

China. Yunnan Prov.: • Yulong Co., Baisha Vil., entrance of Alpine Botanical Garden , 27°0'10.80"N, 100°10'49.50"E, 3204 m, on bark, 28 April 2023, L. Hu et al. SDNU 20232538 About SDNU GoogleMaps .

Description.

Thallus crustose, chalk white, ochre to grey, areolate, consisting of discrete convex to bullate areoles (0.25 –) 0.37–0.5 mm diam., forming a verruculose to papillose, widespread crust. Medulla white, with crystals. Soredia and isidia absent. Prothallus visible, dark. Photobiont chlorococcoid, cells rounded to irregularly angular, 8–16 μm diam.

Apothecia rounded, single or clustered in groups of 2–3 and becoming confluent, 0.5–1.25 (– 2.25) mm diam., base broadly adnate; disc ± flat to strongly convex, black and shiny, becoming cracked when old; margin indistinct. Proper exciple reduced, similar in structure to the hymenium, hyphae radiate, similar to paraphyses. Epihymenium not differentiated as a distinct layer. Hymenium 80–150 μm tall, densely inspersed with minute oil droplets, strongly infused with Fucatus-violet pigment, especially in the upper part, sometimes also infused with Cinereorufa-green, K + peacock green. Subhymenium consisting of a thin layer of ascogenous hyphae, 17.5–27.5 μm tall, filled like the hymenium with Fucatus-violet pigment but sometimes also infused with Cinereorufa-green. “ thalline cushion ” in section prosoplectenchymatous, variable in thickness, 12.5–137.5 μm thick. Hypothecium absent. The amyloid reaction is restricted to the asci and surrounding gel, and does not occur through the whole hymenium. Paraphyses branched and anastomosing, 2–4 μm wide, arranged vertically and linked to each other in their lower halves by thin bridges; paraphyses tips not or scarcely expanded. Asci clavate, Biatora - type. Ascospores ovate to broadly ellipsoid, 2 per ascus, beginning colourless and apparently with a single wall, eventually developing a secondary inner wall, which quickly turns brown while still in ascus; outer wall thick, to 4 μm in some cases, the inner brown wall thin, healthy ascospores (38 –) 45.95 ± 6.18 (– 58) × (18 –) 25.65 ± 4.63 (– 33) μm in water, length / width ratio (1.37 –) 1.83 ± 0.29 (– 2.28); n = 20. Pycnidia not seen in our materials.

Chemistry.

Spot test: thallus K + yellow, C –, P + orange red, UV –. TLC: atranorin and fumarprotocetraric acid.

Ecology and distribution.

Found on twigs of Rhododendron and bark in subalpine and alpine regions. Collections came from elevations of 3200–3800 m in the northwest of Yunnan Province in China. Some collections were associated with Mycoblastus affinis and Ochrolechia .

Notes.

The species is characterized by having esorediate, areolate, verruculose to papillose thallus, hymenium heavily pigmented with Fucatus-violet pigment, brownish inner ascospore walls, and its chemistry (atranorin and fumarprotocetraric acid). It is distinct from V. wangii in its chemistry (fumarprotocetraric acid instead of roccellic / angardianic acid) and thallus morphology (esorediate and verruculose to papillose, instead of sorediate and composed of granular, corticate areoles) ( Spribille et al. 2011 b). V. sinensis was also different with the chemically concordant V. fucata . Apothecia were always present in the former, while rarely found in the later; thallus was thick, esorediate, areolate and verruculose to papillose in the former, while thin, sorediate, effuse in the later ( Spribille et al. 2011 b).

Mycoblastus sinensis was originally collected in Yunnan Province at Yulong Mountain. It was placed in the genus Mycoblastus based on its relatively large apothecia and Biatora - type asci with two, thick-walled ascospores ( Kantvilas 2011). After the collection of fresh specimens from the same locality and comparison with the photograph and description of the type specimen, we confirmed that our collections were morphologically identical to the holotype, except that M. sinensis had larger (0.7–2.5 (– 3.5) mm) white-rime apothecia ( Kantvilas 2011). However, phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that this species should be placed within the genus Violella rather Mycoblastus . In addition, this species is more closely matches the description of Violella ( Kantvilas 2011) . We consider that the type specimens were previously misassigned as species of Mycoblastus . It is likely that Kantvilas didn’t recognize the establishment of this new genus Violella because it was published in the same year as the other one ( Spribille et al. 2011 b; Kantvilas 2011). Based on the morphology, chemistry, and phylogeny of specimens from the type locality, a new combination is proposed here, Violella sinensis .

Specimens examined.

China. Yunnan Prov.: • Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Deqin Co., on the way from Yubeng Upper Village to Glacier Lake beside the observation platform in Meili Snow Mountain National Park , 28°23'56.37"N, 98°46'8.97"E, 3506 m, on bark, 22 April 2023, L. Hu, C. J. Zhong & J. X. Wang. SDNU 20232001 About SDNU , 20235022 About SDNU , 20235025 About SDNU GoogleMaps . • Lijiang, Yulong Co., on the mountain next to Yulong Lake in Gaoshan Botanical Garden , 27°0'12.89"N, 100°11'8.85"E, 3228 m, on bark, 27 April 2023, L. Hu, C. J. Zhong & J. X. Wang. SDNU 20232503 About SDNU , 20235064 About SDNU , 20235065 About SDNU GoogleMaps . • Baisha Vi., entrance of Alpine Botanical Garden , 27°0'10.80"N, 100°10'49.50"E, 3204 m, on bark, 28 April 2023, L. Hu, C. J. Zhong & J. X. Wang. SDNU 20232538 About SDNU , 20232542 About SDNU GoogleMaps . • Alpine Botanical Garden , 27°0'25.17"N, 100°10'34.51"E, 3399 m, on bark, 28 April 2023, L. Hu, C. J. Zhong & J. X. Wang. SDNU 20232559 About SDNU GoogleMaps . • hidden slope of Alpine Botanical Garden , 27°0'23.91"N, 100°10'41.05"E, 3421 m, on bark, 29 April 2023, L. Hu, C. J. Zhong & J. X. Wang. SDNU 20235063 About SDNU , 20232737 About SDNU GoogleMaps , • same location, 27°0'30.65"N, 100°10'29.75"E, 3475 m, on bark, 29 April 2023, L. Hu, C. J. Zhong & J. X. Wang. SDNU 20232753 About SDNU GoogleMaps . • same location, 27°0'39.77"N, 100°10'39.12"E, 3511 m, on bark, 29 April 2023, L. Hu, C. J. Zhong & J. X. Wang. SDNU 20232767 About SDNU GoogleMaps . • Yulong Co., next to Laojun Mountain Homestay , 26°37'54.05"N, 99°43'37.23"E, 3821 m, on bark, 30 April 2023, L. Hu, C. J. Zhong & J. X. Wang. SDNU 20232873 About SDNU GoogleMaps .