A Synopsis of the North American Species of Cyphelium

Abstract

In North America there are eleven species of Cyphelium of which six are endemic. The new species C. brunneum is described from southern California and adjacent Mexico, and C. caliciforme is reported for the first time from North America. Cyphelium notarisii is reduced to the rank of a subspecies of C. tigillare. The recent discovery of an undescribed species of Cyphelium in California and a previously unreported one from Alaska necessitated a review of the known North American species of the genus. This paper presents a key based on this work, with discussions of the species reported up to the present time (Hale & Culberson, 1966). A detailed review of geographic distribution is not attempted here although the general outlines of ranges are suggested in the key and annotated list. According to Zahlbruckner (1926), Cyphelium includes the members of the Cypheliaceae in which the phycobiont is not Trentepohlia and in which the spores are usually bito plurilocular and dark in color. Cypheliopsis, with unicellular spores, was included in Cyphelium as an exceptional species forming a section, but most recent treatments consider it a distinct, monotypic genus with the species C. bolanderi (Tuck.) Vain. Revisionary study on a wider scale is overdue, but at present it is possible to clarify the relationships of the North American species in the usual generic context. The North American Cyphelia include eleven species and one subspecies. Of these, five species C. lucidum, C. sessile, C. inquinans, C. caliciforme, and C. tigillare with its subspecies notarisii occur also in Europe, while the remainder are North American endemics. Cyphelium carolinianum is restricted to the southeastern coastal states from the Carolinas to Florida. Cyphelium brunneum, C. californicum, C. chloroconium, C. occidentale, and C. sancti-jacobi are endemics of coastal southern California and adjacent Baja California, Mexico. The species are well marked and present no difficulties in characterization. The mode of origin of the fruiting body, or mazaedium, exhibits a variation from species to species which I am inclined to regard as an evolutionary reduction series. According to this interpretation, species such as C. sessile and C. inquinans are primitive. Here the mazaedium arises as sessile on the thallus and the confining black parathecial (excipular) wall is persistent through maturity. In those species in which the mazaedium arises in the thallus and remains immersed or only slightly extruded, the wall material, at first well developed (C. brunneum), eventually is reduced to a vestigial subhypothalline cushion (C. californicum and C. occidentale). Future taxonomic studies may find this an interesting phylogenetic consideration. Most species of Cyphelium show a slight blistering of the episporium. In only one instance is this of such magnitude as to obscure the outlines of the spore loculi. In C. sancti-jacobi the blistering is highly developed, forming a pseudocellular net of 1 This research was supported by Grant GB-1538 from the National Science Foundation. 2 University of Colorado Museum, Boulder, Colorado 80304. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.183 on Thu, 26 May 2016 06:50:57 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 198 THE BRYOLOGIST [Volume 70 swollen and overlapping compartments, and the bilocular nature of the spores can only be observed in immature spores or by special clearing methods. However, because of the common occurrence of some blistering, I feel that N~dvornik's proposal of the genus Texosporium for C. sancti-jacobi is unjustified. The pattern of North American endemism suggests that our species are at least of Tertiary age. The large number of Californian endemics emphasizes the fact that California is one of the richest and most critical lichenological areas of the United States, rich because of the large number of relatively narrow endemics in this and other genera and critical because this flora is being destroyed more rapidly, through air pollution and urban development, than any other. The coastal flora at its best is now limited to protected areas of the Monterey Peninsula, the Santa Barbara Islands, Santa Catalina Island, and San Clemente Island. San Clemente receives some protection because it is a military base and Santa Catalina because it is in friendly private ownership. Parts of Monterey Peninsula and the Santa Barbara Islands have received protection as nature reserves. Whether or not these refuges are safe from atmospheric pollution remains to be seen. Hasse's classic localities around Los Angeles are now almost completely destroyed, a tragedy for lichenology because it is now impossible to restudy the type localities for more adequate material.