Caloplaca himalayana

Caloplaca himalayana is a species of lignicolous (wood-dwelling) crustose lichen belonging to the family Teloschistaceae. Found in the Himalayas of India, it was described as new to science in 2009. The lichen has a yellowish thallus with rusty red apothecial (fruiting body).

Taxonomy
This species was first named and formally described by the lichenologists Yogesh Joshi and Dalip Kumar Upreti. The type specimen was collected in May 2002 from Rohru, Sungri, in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh, India, at an elevation of 2600 m meters, where it was found growing on dead wood.

Description
Caloplaca himalayana features a crust-like (crustose), thin, and continuous growth, which forms an irregular shape with a diameter ranging from 0.4 to 3 cm and a thickness of about 25–30 μm. The lichen's colour is predominantly yellowish. The outer layer (cortex) of the lichen is thin and consists of thin-walled cells arranged in a compact manner. Its is even and continuous. The medulla, which is the innermost layer, is white and made of loosely arranged, translucent (hyaline) fungal hyphae, organised in a less compact manner. The lichen lacks a bordering growth (prothallus).

The reproductive structures (apothecia) are in form, typically numerous, and can be scattered or somewhat clustered. They are, meaning they are directly attached without a stalk, and vary from round to angular in shape due to compression. Their size ranges from 0.2 to 1.2 mm in diameter. The apothecia are characterised by a ferruginous red to reddish-brown, glossy, surrounded by a smooth, , and thin that is flush with the disc and either the same colour or paler. The lichen lacks a. Microscopically, the (outermost layer of the apothecium) is golden brown, while the hymenium (spore-producing layer) and  (layer below the hymenium) are hyaline. The (layer surrounding the apothecium) consists of elongated cells, and the  (outer layer of the apothecium) is similar in structure but lacks algae or has them restricted at the base.

The lichen's spores number eight per ascus. They are (divided into two components, or, separated by a central septum with a perforation, or ), and range in shape from ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid to ovoid, measuring 9–11 by 4–7 μm. The connecting isthmus between the spore compartments is 2–4 μm.

Chemistry
Chemical spot tests reveal that the thallus, apothecial disc, and epihymenium turn purple when treated with a solution of potassium hydroxide (K+), and do not react to calcium hypochlorite (C−) or paraphenylenediamine (Pd−). The medulla shows no reaction to these tests (K−, C−, Pd−). Thin-layer chromatography identifies the presence of 7-chloroemodin (a major secondary metabolite) and traces of parietinic acid.

Similar species
Caloplaca himalayana is distinct for its thin, continuous yellowish thallus and ferruginous coloured apothecia. It lacks both a thalline margin and algae in the amphithecium and typically inhabits dead wood. This species could be mistaken for Caloplaca herbidella which differs by being (having outgrowths). Another species, Opeltia flavorubescens, with deep reddish-brown to brown apothecia, can be challenging to distinguish from C. himalayana but can be distinguished by its thalline margin, presence of algae in the amphithecium, and larger spores.

Several other species share similar habitats and apothecial disc colours but can be differentiated from C. himalayana. These include Blastenia ammiospila, Blastenia ferruginea, Blastenia subathallina, Caloplaca caesiorufella, C. ferrugineofusca, C. jenisejensis, C. spitsbergensis, all of which have (growing in wood), poorly to well-developed grey thalli and larger spores. Marchantiana asserigena differs in its grey thallus and small lecanorine to apothecia, while Opeltia juniperina is distinguished by its  thalli and pale yellow-margined concave apothecia.

Habitat and distribution
Caloplaca himalayana has been found in a few locations within Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in India. This species typically grows on dead wood at elevations between 2150 and 2800 m in the temperate regions of the Western Himalayas. It was reported from the Haat Kali sacred grove, Central Himalaya, Uttarakhand, in 2010. The localities where Caloplaca himalayana is found share similar lichen compositions, typically including species from the genera Lecanora and Rinodina, as well as a dense coverage of cyanobacterial species.