Bactrospora angularis
Bactrospora angularis is a crust-like lichen that lives on tree bark in Brazil. It belongs to the order Arthoniales, but its exact family is not known. The species was described in 2015 by Priscylla Sobreira, André Aptroot, and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was found in 2013 on smooth bark in Brejo dos Cavalos, Caruaru, Pernambuco, at about 877 meters above sea level, in a high-altitude, humid forest.
The name angularis comes from the angular shape of its fruiting bodies (apothecia). The lichen has a thin, grey-green crust (the thallus) that sticks tightly to the bark and is edged by a black line. Tiny green algae from the genus Trentepohlia cover the surface, and these filaments may be part of the lichen’s symbiosis or just on the surface.
Apothecia are small (0.2–0.5 mm), irregular in shape, and dark brown. The outer layer is carbon-like and does not react to iodine or potassium hydroxide tests. The fertile layer is 200–250 μm tall, with unbranched filaments. Each ascus (spore sac) is 180–200 by 18–26 μm and usually contains eight spores. The spores are long and thread-like, 85–150 by 5–7 μm, transparent, with 19–35 internal divisions.
No pycnidia or secondary chemicals were found. Bactrospora angularis has so far been found only on Brazilian tree bark in Brejo de altitude forests, a cool, shaded habitat that favors its growth. The relationship between the lichen and the Trentepohlia algae is not clear. In 2022, the species was also recorded from São Francisco do Sul in Santa Catarina, Brazil.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:54 (CET).