© The Palaeobotanical Society, Lucknow, India
Geophytology 43(1): 69-73
May 2013
New records of lichen genera Agonimia and Baeomyces
(Ascomycota) from India
Dalip K. Upreti, Gaurav K. Mishra & Sanjeeva Nayaka
National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow-226001, India
E-mail: upretidk@rediffmail.com; gmishrak@gmail.com; sanjeeva_n@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Upreti D. K., Mishra G. K. & Nayaka S. 2013. New records of lichen genus Agonimia and Baeomyces
(Ascomycota) from India. Geophytology 43(1): 00-00.
Agonimia tristicula (Nyl.) Zahlbr. and Baeomyces carneus (Retz.) Flörke, two squamulose lichens, are described
as new records for Indian lichen biota. Both the species are collected from eastern Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh.
Genus Agonimia is also a new record for India.
Key Words: Lichenized fungi, Agonimia, Baeomyces, taxonomy, Arunachal Pradesh.
INTRODUCTION
Eastern Himalayan region has a unique topography
and climate which supports luxuriance and abundance
of different plant groups in the area including lichens.
Out of the seven sister states of north eastern India, the
state of Arunachal Pradesh is bestowed with peculiar
lichen diversity having more affinities with the Sino-
Japanese elements. Owing to the difficult and remote
terrains the lichen flora of most of the districts are not
explored so far. Recently the lichen explorations in some
districts of the state were carried out which resulted in
the discovery of new or otherwise interesting lichens
taxa from the state by Ahti & Upreti (2004), Singh et
al. (2005), Dubey et al. (2007) and Singh & Singh
(2012). In the present study two squamulose lichens
are described from the state as new records for the
Indian lichen flora.
MATERIAL AND METHOD
The specimens are examined morphologically,
anatomically and chemically. The morphological studies
were carried out with the help of Leica stereo zoom
microscope E24. The anatomical details were studied
in thin hand-cut sections of apothecia and thallus
mounted in water, cotton blue, 5% KOH and Iodine
were used for the hamathecial reactions and observed
under a compound microscope (LECIA DM 500). The
chemical spot tests and TLC (system A) were carried
out following, the methods by Walker & James (1980)
and Orange et al. (2001).
TAXONOMIC DESCRIPTION
Family: Verrucariaceae
Genus: Agonimia
Agonimia tristicula (Nyl.) Zahlbr., Österr. bot.
Z. 59: 351. 1909. –Verrucaria tristicula Nyl., Flora
48: 356. 1865.
Plate 1, figures A-D
Description: Thallus terricolous, squamulose;
squamules minute, crowded, adnate to ascending, flat
to convex, roundish to elongate, 0.1–0.5 long and 0.1–
0.3 mm wide; upper surface rough, greyish brown to
greenish brown or dark brown to black; lower surface
pale, ecorticated; algal cells distributed throughout the
thallus, chlorococcoid, cells rounded up to 0.5 μm.
Soredia and isidia absent; cortex paraplectenchymatous