Acarospora socialis | |
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Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
Order: | Acarosporales |
Family: | Acarosporaceae |
Genus: | Acarospora |
Species: | A. socialis
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Binomial name | |
Acarospora socialis
H.Magn. (1929)
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Acarospora socialis (bright cobblestone lichen) is a usually bright yellow areolate to squamulose crustose lichen in the family Acarosporaceae that grows up to 10 cm wide, mostly on rock in western North America. [1] It is among the most common lichens in the deserts of Arizona and southern California. [2] [3]: 218–9 [3]: 218–219 It grows on sandstone, intrusive and extrusive igneous rock such as granitics, in all kinds of exposures to sunlight, including vertical rock walls. [1] It is found in North America, including areas of the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert region, to Baja California Sur. [1] It is the most common yellow member of its genus in southwestern North America. [1] It sometimes, but rarely, grows on other soil crusts. [1] It is a pioneer species. [1]
It is variable in its growth pattern. [1] Areoles can be angular to round, sometimes forming lobes. They can be contiguous or scattered. [1] Color is variable - bleached white, green-yellow, and other hades of yellow. [1] It has a lower surface when squamulose, but without a lower cortex. [1] With age, it forms stipes. [1] Each squamule has 0[ citation needed] or one 1 mm round to angular apothecia immersed in it, outside desert habitats, but may have 2 to 10 per in deserts. [1] Two apothecia may merged leaving a peninsula ( umbo) of thalline tissue through the disc. [1] Apothecia may have lecanorine margins. [1] Apothecia have a flat to concave mostly brown or reddish brown, concave disc. [1]
Lichen spot tests are all negative. [1] It is UV+ orange. [1] Secondary metabolites include rhizocarpic acid, and sometimes trace amounts of epanorin. [1]
When young, it is very similar to Acarospora contigua. [1] But A. socialis has areolas that become lobed and squamulose. [1] When appearing on soil, it may be mistaken for Acarospora schleicheri. [1] But A. socialis has contiguous areoles while those of A. schlecheri can be imbricate. [1] It is also similar to Acarospora chrysops, which grows from South America to central Mexico, through Texas and into the Rocky Mountains. [1] It is very similar to Pleopsidium flavum at mid-level mountains, with the latter favoring higher elevations, above 900 metres (3,000 ft), and being somewhat effigurate with smaller (less than 1 mm) yellow apothecia. [1]