Ramalina furcellangulida

Ramalina furcellangulida is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae, described in 2007 from the Galápagos Islands. It forms small, greenish-grey tufts with angular, often hook-tipped branches that bear fine white lines (pseudocyphellae) and frequent cup-shaped fruiting discs. It is found mainly on bark in the coastal and arid zones of the archipelago and is considered endemic to the region.

Taxonomy

Ramalina furcellangulida was introduced as a new species by André Aptroot in a 2007 revision of the Galápagos Ramalina funga. The holotype specimen was collected on the east slope of Volcán Alcedo, Isabela Island, at about 250 m elevation, from the bark of Bursera graveolens.

The species is distinguished by narrow, angular branches that often curl at the tips, abundant linear white breaks in the surface (pseudocyphellae), and branches that tend to kink at the fruiting discs (geniculate apothecia); the medulla gives a strong potassium hydroxide reaction (K+ yellow → red). It contrasts with the similar R. montagnei, which has pointed, non-hooked tips and a different K reaction pattern.

Description

The thallus (lichen body) is small, usually 1–3 cm across (to about 5 cm), compactly branched and without a single, obvious holdfast. Branches start upright and may hang with age; in cross-section they are irregularly angular rather than flattened, and they are often bent in the lengthwise direction with tips that curve like a shepherd's crook. The surface commonly bears rounded warts that abrade into parallel, linear pseudocyphellae—tiny pale slits where the inner tissue shows through.