Lichen determination

keys - Relicina
https://archive.bgbm.org/sipman/keys/relicina.htm

Revised worldwide key for the genus Relicina (Parmeliaceae)

by J. Elix & H. Sipman
This key contains some corrections to the one published in the recent monograph by the
first author (Bibliotheca Lichenologica vol. 62, 1996) and includes later additions, see
literature at the bottom of this page. The first version of this Internet edition was produced
by H. Sipman on 20 November 1997. All species are epiphytic, unless otherwise indicated.

1a Thallus isidiate and/or lobulate 2

b Thallus not isidiate or lobulate 18

2a Isidia globose to cylindrical 3

b Isidia dorsiventral, becoming lobulate, or lobules only 12

3a Lower surface pale brown to dark brown 4

b Lower surface black, rarely brown-black at lobe margins 7

4a Rhizines simple or sparingly branched 5

b Rhizines with secondary rhizines which are densely branched and agglutinated 6

5a Isidia branched and coralloid; hypostictic and menegazziaic acid absent or present in
traces only (stictic acid major); Japan, Taiwan, India, SE Asia, Australia, epiphytic and on
rock R. sydneyensis (Gyeln.) Hale
b Isidia simple; hypostictic and menegazziaic acid present in significant amounts (stictic
acid major); Queensland R. ramboldii Elix & J. Johnst.

6a Cilia dense, to 2 mm long; containing protocetraric acid (major); SE Asia, Australia

R. circumnodata (Nyl.) Hale
b Cilia sparse to moderate, to 0.3 mm long; containing succinprotoce- traric acid (major)
and fumarprotocetraric acid (minor); Queensland R. conglutinata Elix & J. Johnst.

7a Lobes very narrow and tightly adnate, 0.3-1.0 mm wide; containing echinocarpic acid;
paleotropical R. amphithrix Hale
b Lobes broader, adnate, 1-3 mm wide 8

8a Medulla K+ intense yellow (or orange) or yellow turning red, containing stictic or
norstictic acids 9
 b Medulla K-, or K+ pale yellow, containing 4-O-demethylbarbatic, echinocarpic or
gyrophoric acids 10

9a Rhizines branched; medulla K+ intense yellow (or orange), containing stictic acid
(major) and norstictic acid (minor); Australia, epiphytic and on rock R. subnigra Elix &
J. Johnst.
b Rhizines simple; medulla K+ yellow turning red, containing norstictic acid (major)
rarely with diffractaic acid, stictic acid absent; pantropical R. abstrusa (Vain.)
Hale

10a Medulla P+ yellow or orange, containing echinocarpic acid (major); SE Asia,

Australia R. planiuscula (Kurok.) Hale
b Medulla P-, containing 4-O-demethylbarbatic or gyrophoric acids 11

11a Lobes narrow, 0.3-1.5 mm wide; medulla C- or C+ yellow-orange, containing 4-O-

demethylbarbatic acid (major); Queensland R. demethylbarbatica Elix & J. Johnst.
b Lobes broader, 1.0-3.5 mm wide; medulla C+ pink or red, containing gyrophoric acid
(major); New Guinea R. vinasii Elix

12a (2) Cylindrical isidia present 13

b Cylindrical isidia absent 15

13a Lobes narrow, tightly adnate, 0.3-1.0 mm wide; containing echinocarpic acid;
paleotropical R. amphithrix Hale
b Lobes broader, adnate, 1-3.5 mm wide 14

14a Thallus coriaceous; apothecia ecoronate; containing echinocarpic acid (major); SE

Asia, Australia R. planiuscula (Kurok.) Hale
b Thallus fragile; apothecia subcoronate; containing echinocarpic acid (major); SE Asia,
Australia R. schizospatha (Kurok.) Hale

15a Lobes narrow, tightly adnate, 0.3-1.5 mm wide 16

b Lobes broader, adnate, 1-3.5 mm wide 17

16a Medulla P+ yellow or orange, containing echinocarpic acid (major); SE Asia

R. palmata Elix
b Medulla P-, containing relicinulinic acids A, B (major): SE Asia, Australia R. relicinula
(Müll. Arg.) Hale

17a Medulla P+ yellow or orange, containing echinocarpic acid, with or without gyrophoric
acid (trace); New Guinea R. gemmulosa (Kurok.) Streimann
 b Medulla P-, C+ rose; containing gyrophoric acid (major), echinocarpic acid absent;
SE Asia R. luteoviridis (Kurok.) Hale

18a (1) Lower surface pale brown to dark brown 19

b Lower surface black, rarely black-brown at lobe margins 30

19a Rhizines densely branched and agglutinated, at least in part 20

b Rhizines simple or sparsely branched 25

20a Medulla K+ yellow then dark red; containing salazinic acid 21

b Medulla K-, salazinic acid absent 22

21a Spores small, 3-4 x 2 mu; containing barbatic acid (major); Malaysia R. sabahensis
Elix
b Spores larger, 7-8 x 4-5 mu; barbatic acid absent; Java R. acrobotrys (Kurok.) Hale

22a Medulla P-; containing barbatic acid; New Guinea R. agglutinata Elix & J. Johnst.
b Medulla P+ red-orange; containing protocetraric, fumarprotocetraric or
succinprotocetraric acids 23

23a Apothecia coronate; containing protocetraric acid (major); Philippines

………..R. precircumnodata Hale
b Apothecia ecoronate or lacking 24

24a Spores small, ca. 3 x 2 mu; containing succinprotocetraric acid (major),

fumarprotocetraric acid (minor); SE Asia, Australia
R. ramosissima (Kurok.) Hale
b Spores larger, 7-9 x 4-5 mu; containing protocetraric acid (major); SE Asia, Solomon
Islands, Australia R. subleana (Kurok.) Hale

25a Medulla K- or K+ pale yellow then dirty brown; containing protocetraric acid (major);
Queensland R. dentata Elix
b Medulla K+ intense yellow or yellow then red 26

26a Medulla K+ yellow then red; containing norstictic acid (major); 27

b Medulla K+ intense yellow; containing stictic acid (major),
norstictic acid (minor/trace) 28

27a Apothecia ecoronate; New South Wales R. filsonii Elix & J. Johnst.
b Apothecia coronate or subcoronate; New South Wales R. barringtonensis Elix
28a Apothecia subcoronate; lobes tightly adnate; Queensland
R. subcoronata Elix & J. Johnst.
b Apothecia ecoronate; lobes adnate 29

29a Lobes narrow, 0.5-1.5 mm wide; containing menegazziaic acid (major or submajor);
Queensland, on rock R. clarkensis Elix & J. Johnst.
b Lobes broader, 1-3 mm wide; menegazziaic acid absent or present in traces only;
Australia, epiphytic or on rock R. limbata (Laurer) Hale

30a (18) Apothecia present, coronate or subcoronate 31

b Apothecia ecoronate or absent 42

31a Medulla K+ yellow then red; containing norstictic acid; pantropical R. subabstrusa
(Gyeln.) Hale
b Medulla K- or K+ yellow; norstictic acid absent 32

32a Lobes narrow, 0.3-1.5 mm wide, tightly adnate; gyrophoric acid absent or present in
traces only 33
b Lobes broader, 1-3 mm wide, adnate; containing gyrophoric acid (major); New
Guinea, Solomon Islands R. retrospinosa (Kurok. & Kashiw.) Streimann

33a Medulla P- 34
b Medulla P+ yellow, orange or red 38

34a Diffractaic acid present (major); neotropical R. incongrua Hale

b Diffractaic acid absent 35

35a Hirtifructic acid present (major); New Guinea, Fiji R. fijiensis Elix & J. Johnst.
b Hirtifructic acid absent 36

36a Butlerins A, B, C and D present (minors); Queensland R. kurandensis Elix

b Butlerins A, B, C and D absent 37

37a Caperatic acid present (major); Malaysia R. subconnivens Hale

b Relicinulinic acids A, B (major) present; SE Asia, Australia R. relicinula (Müll. Arg.)
Hale

38a Spores 8 per ascus; malonprotocetraric acid absent 39

b Spores 16-32 per ascus; containing malonprotocetraric acid (major); neotropical
R. relicinella (Nyl.) Hale
39a Medulla P+ brick red; succinprotocetraric acid present, echinocarpic acid absent;
Florida, Caribbean R. eximbricata (Gyeln.) Hale
b Medulla P+ pale yellow or yellow-orange; echinocarpic acid present;
succinprotocetraric acid absent 40

40a Apothecia stipitate; medulla P+ pale yellow; containing diffractaic acid (major),
echinocarpic acid (minor/trace); Guyana R. stipitata Elix
b Apothecia sessile; medulla P+ yellow-orange; containing echinocarpic acid (major),
diffractaic acid absent 41

41a Lobes separate, axils broad; lacking hirtifructic acid; SE Asia, Pacific, Australia
R. samoensis (Zahlbr.) Hale
b Lobes contiguous, axils acute; containing hirtifructic acid; New Guinea, Australia
R. terricrocodila Elix & J. Johnst.

42a (30) Medulla P- 43

b Medulla P+ yellow, orange or red 44

43a Medulla UV+ blue-white; containing alectoronic acid; SE Asia R. fluorescens (Hale)
Hale
b Medulla UV-; containing protolichesterinic acid (major), butlerins A, B, C, D; SE Asia,
Australia R. connivens (Kurok.) Hale
44a Medulla K+ yellow then dark red; containing salazinic or norstictic acid (major) 45
b Medulla K- or K+ pale yellow-brown; salazinic and norstictic acid absent 47

45a Thallus saxicolous; cilia 1-2 mm long, weakly inflated; lacking echinocarpic acid;
Brazil R. xanthoparmeliformis Elix & Nash
45b Thallus corticolous; cilia 0.1-0.5 mm long, conspicuously inflated;
containing echinocarpic acid (minor) 46

46a Containing salazinic acid (maior); Japan R. segregata Elix

b Containing norstictic acid (maior); Thailand R. polycarpa Elix & Polyiam

47a Medulla P+ brick red; containing fumarprotocetraric acid 48

b Medulla P+ yellow or orange; containing echinocarpic acid 49

48a Rhizines squarrosely branched; succinprotocetraric acid absent; SE Asia

R. malesiana (Hale) Hale
b Rhizines simple or sparingly furcate branched; succinprotocetraric acid present
(major); Burma, Thailand R. sublimbata (Nyl.) Hale
49a Medulla C+ rose or red; gyrophoric (major) and hirtifructic acids present,
echinocarpic minor; New Guinea R. hirtifructa (Kurok.) Streimann
b Medulla C-; gyrophoric and hirtifructic acids absent, echinocarpic major 50

50a Lobes narrow, 0.5-2 mm wide; upper cortex not columnar 51

b Lobes broader, 1.5-3 mm wide; upper cortex columnar; SE Asia R. columnaria Elix
& J. Johnst.

51a Lobes narrow, 0.5-1 mm wide, linear-elongate; New Guinea R. sipmanii Elix
b Lobes broader, 1-2 mm wide, sublinear; Japan R. echinocarpa (Kurok.) Hale

 Literature:
Elix, J. A. 1998. A new species and revised key to the
genus Relicina(Ascomycotina, Parmeliaceae). Mycotaxon 69: 129-136.
 Noicharoen, K, Polyiam, W, Boonpragob, K, Elix, J. A. & Wolseley, P. A. 2003. New
species of Parmotrema and Relicina (Ascomycota, Parmeliaceae) from Thailand.
Mycotaxon 85: 325-330.

BGBM homepage BGBM research homepage more keys

© Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin
page editor: Harrie Sipman, last update: 15 May 2003, imprint
http://www.bgbm.org/sipman/keys/Relicina.htm