Graphis chlorotica A. Massal., in Krempelhuber, Verh. Kaiserl. -Königl. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien 21: 865 (1871)

Index Fungorum number: IF 385629;  Mycobank number: MB 385629; Facesoffungi number: FoF 16051; Fig. 1

Thallus crustose, corticolous, surface smooth, dull, continuous to sometimes cracked, greenish grey to white grey. Ascocarp lirellate, erumpent, short–sparsely branched, with a lateral to basal thick thalline margin, tenella type, 0.5–4 × 0.5–2 mm. Disc brown, non-pruinose, closed, getting narrowly exposed upon hydration; Labia smooth becoming striate, black, not pruinose. Exciple 6–8 striate, apically carbonized, brownish towards the base. Epithecium granular, brownish, 6–10 μm high. Hymenium hyaline, clear, KI–, 64–76 μm high. Subhymenium hyaline, 8–14 μm high. Ascospores 8 per ascus, hyaline, ellipsoid, transversely 7–13 septate, I+blue, 30–40×5–8 μm.

Secondary chemistry – No substances detected by TLC, K–

Material examined – INDIA, Maharashtra, Mahabaleshwar (17°56′ 15″ N, 73° 39′ 34″ E,+1336 msl.),15 September 2022, P. A. Ansil and K. C. Rajeshkumar, (AMH22.31).

GenBank numbers – AMH22.31: mtSSU = OR807878, LSU=OR807872, rpb2=OR806896.

Notes – This study presents the phylogenetic placement of Graphis chlorotica. G. chlorotica is similar to G. subtenella concerning apically carbonized striate exciple and transversely septate ascospores having no detected lichen acids. G. subtenella possess a white–grey thallus and ascocarp with lateral thalline margin and G. chlorotica differs by having a green-grey thallus and ascocarp with basal thalline margin. Considering the similarities, Lücking et al. (2009) treated G. subtenella as a synonym for G. chlorotica. Later, by revisiting the type material of G. chlorotica, PEÑA et al. (2014) removed G. subtenella from synonymy and accepted it as a separate species based on morphological differences. The sample studied here showed greenish grey thallus and ascocarps with apically thin complete to lateral thick thalline margin and hence identified as G. chlorotica. The phylogenetic analyses using combined mtSSU, LSU and rpb2 sequences placed G. chlorotica a weakly supported clade allied to G. proserpens. However, further multigene phylogenetic study is required to understand both G. chlorotica and G. subtenella.

Figure 1 – Graphis chlorotica (AMH22.31). a, b Thallus. c Cross section of lirellae. d Hymenium. e Ascus showing ascospores. f I+ascospores. g–h Ascospore. Scale bars: a=1 mm, b=200 µm, c=50 µm, d=20 µm, e–h=10 µm