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Strange cyanolichen from Kauai, ID help/thoughts?

  • 17 Oct 2024 5:14 PM
    Message # 13420443

    Hello all!

    This past August I took a trip to Kauai's Koke'e State park where I found a minutely fruiticose (branch diameters less than .1mm), cushion forming cyanolichen, tucked in pits and crevasses of the basalt boulders lining the edge of a parking lot. There appears to be a cellular cortex (visible in LM and SEM), rhizohyphae anchoring the thali to the substrate, and a filamentous cyanobacterial photobiont. Very sparkly under the dissecting scope as well. I've been leaning towards genus Scytinium based off these features and gut feeling, but unfortunately I have been unable to find supporting literature. I figured, even though it is not a NW lichen, I'd pop a post in here to see if anyone has any thoughts on the find!


    I've included some images, but there are more here (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/246391112).

    5 files
  • 18 Oct 2024 8:18 AM
    Reply # 13420666 on 13420443

    Look at Dendristcocaulon.

  • 18 Oct 2024 10:05 AM
    Reply # 13420710 on 13420443

    not Dendriscocaulon as far as I can tell. I wonder if it is actually lichenized. Other than that I am no help at all. Check out what the photobiont is, for a start - maybe just a smash or a slice though it is pretty tiny for that. good luck.

  • 18 Oct 2024 1:25 PM
    Reply # 13420814 on 13420443

    Yes, doesn't seem very Dendriscocaulon to me either, the thallus branches are fairly uniform in diameter with no "primary stems". They seem to arise from directly from the mat of dense black/grey rhizohyphae.

    The second image from the left is from a smash mount of the branches, I believe there is a filamentous cyano in frame to the left of the branch. I've included the image here with a circle around that.

    1 file
    Last modified: 19 Oct 2024 5:05 PM | Anonymous member

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