I would like to dedicate this thesis to my
beloved parents and my sisters for their
unconditional love and support in every way
possible throughout the process of this course,
this thesis and beyond. A thesis for Degree of Master of Science
The taxonomic study of
foliicolous lichenized fungi in
Chu Yang Sin national park of Vietnam

Thi Thuy Nguyen
Department of Environmental Education & Science

LIST OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction 1
II. Review of literatures 4
1. Foliicolous lichens studies in Vietnam 4
2. Chu Yang Sin national park 4
III. Materials and methods 8
IV. Taxonomy 9
1. Key to foliicolous lichen genera in Chu Yang Sin nation park
9
2. Brief description of genera and their respective species
reported from Chu Yang Sin National Park 10
1) Arthonia 10
Arthonia cyanea var. cyanea 10
2) Bacidina 12
Bacidina apiahica 12
3) Byssoloma 14
Byssoloma chlorinum 15
Byssoloma subdiscordans var. subdiscordans 16
Byssoloma vanderystii 17
4) Calopadia 19
Calopadia puiggarii 20
Calopadia subcoerulescens 21
5) Chroodiscus 23
Chroodiscus mirificus 24
6) Coenogonium 25
Coenogonium dilucidum 26
Coenogonium disciforme 27
7) Echinoplaca 29
Echinoplaca epiphylla 30
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Fig. 1. Location of Chu Yang Sin national park in Vietnam 6
Fig. 2. Map of Chu Yang Sin national park

7

Fig. 3. Habit and ascospores of Arthonia cyanea var. cyanea f.
cyanea 11
Fig. 4. Habit and ascospores of Bacidina apiahica 13
Fig. 5. Habit and ascospores of foliicolous species of Byssoloma 18
Fig. 6. Habit and ascospores of foliicolous species of Calopadia 22
Fig. 7. Habit and ascospores of Chroodiscus argillaceus 23
Fig. 8. Habit and ascospores of foliicolous species of Coenogonium
28
Fig. 9. Habit and ascospores of foliicolous species of Echinoplaca 33
Fig. 10. Habit and ascospores of foliicolous species of Fellhanera 39
Fig. 11. Habit and ascospores of foliicolous species of Mazosia 43
Fig. 12. Habit and ascospores of foliicolous species of Porina 49
Fig. 13. Habit and ascospores of species of Porina rubentior 50
Fig. 14. Habit and ascospores of foliicolous species of Sporopodium
54
Fig. 15. Habit and ascospores of species of Strigula nitidula 55
Fig. 16. Habit and ascospores of species of Tricharia vainioi 57

Table 1. The list of orders, families, genera and species in Chu Yang
Sin national park 61


key to species of the genera are given. Each species was
described in diagnostic characters, chemistry and distribution.

Key words: Taxonomy, foliicolous lichenized fungi, Vietnam,
Chu Yang Sin national park
1

I. INTRODUCTION

Foliicolous lichens are lichens that grow on the living leaves
of angiosperms, fern fonds, phyllodes, phylloclades and young
bamboo culms. Generally they occur on the leaves that shed off in 2-
5 years or stayed longer (e.g. Agave and palm leaves), except few
taxa which were found to grow on annually deciduous leaves.
Majority of the foliicolous lichens were found on the upper side of
the leaves i.e. epiphyllous, but few also grow on the lower side i.e.
hypophyllous. Foliicolous lichens generally prefer growing over
leaves of lower branches which not only enjoyed the partial shade of
the over growing branches but also had a more humid environment
than others. Based on their substrate specificity, they can be divided
into three groups:
1) Eufoliicolous lichens: they grow and reproduce entirely
on the leaves and have a crustose thallus that is tightly
adnate to the substrate.
2) Facultative foliicolous lichens: they usually grow on
barks, petioles and twigs but exceptionally on leaves.
3) Pseudofoliicolous (indifferent or ubiquitous) lichens:
besides growing on leaves they can grow on different
substrates, such as rock, bark, soil etc.
The diversity and density of foliicolous lichens is abundant in

Aptroot & Sparrius (2006) made a first checklist of lichen flora of
Vietnam and included 32 foliicolous lichen species within it. Later
on, Papong et al. (2007) increased the tally of foliicolous lichens to
70.
Nguyen et al. (2009, 2010) during her studies on foliicolous
lichen flora of Vietnam, reported 14 additional species which were
new to Vietnam lichen flora and raises the tally of foliicolous lichens
to 84. Nguyen et al. (2010) for the first time also reported fertile
specimen of Coenogonium disciforme Papong, Boonpr. & Lücking
from Chu Yang Sin national park of Vietnam. Previously only fertile
specimen of this species was known from Thailand (Papong et al.
2007). Since, there were no expert focusing on this group of lichen in
3

Vietnam, and also number of publications and numbers of species
recorded from this place were very few, this idea led the author to
work on foliicolous lichen flora of Vietnam.
As far as Vietnam is concerned, it is a very big country
located in the Asian wet tropics with long beach and two large deltas
having high annual rainfall making conditions favorable for the
growth foliicolous lichens, henceforth it is bit difficult for the author
to explore entire country within 2 years of time for her Master’s
thesis, that’s why she has focused her study on foliicolous lichen
diversity of Chu Yang Sin national park from where she reported 28
species belonging to 13 genera of which 6 were new to Vietnamese
lichen flora. Key to the genera and species are provided along with
brief description of all the species reported from this national park.

4


and Lak Districts of Daklak Province has forests of enormous
5

significance for biodiversity, conservation and protection. Having an
area of 58,947 ha, this is the largest protected area on the Da Lat
Plateau. The park was first designated as a nature reserve in early
1986 and then later upgraded to national park in 2005.
Chu Yang Sin is a system of mountains running from Eastern
North to Western South, and includes Chu Ba Nak Mountain (1,858
m high), Chu Hae’le Mountain (1.204 m), Chu Pan Phan Mountain
(1.185 m), Chu Drung Yang Mountain (1,812 m), Chu Yang Sieng
Mountain (1,128 m), Yang Kling Mountain (1,271 m), Chu Yang
Saone Mountain (1,176 m), Chu Hrang Kreou Mountain (1.071) and
Chu Yang Sin Mountain (2,105 m). There are many small and narrow
valleys but also some flat valleys lying along streams. The elevation
of the park lies between 450 – 2,405 m.
The broadleaved evergreen forest is the dominant vegetation
type in the park with an area of more than 30,000 ha. Lowland semi-
evergreen forests which are characterized by dominance of
Lagerstroemia calyculata and Terminalia nigrovenulosa and lowland
evergreen forests characterized by dominance of Hopea odorata,
Dipterocarpus alatus, Dipterocarpus turbinatus are distributed below
900 m. At elevation above 900 m, submontane and montane
evergreen forests dominated by members of Fagaceae and Lauraceae
are widely distributed. Montane evergreen forests in this region are
characterized mainly by the presence of gymnosperms, such as Pinus
spp., Podocarpus imbricatus and Fokienia hodginsii. On the ridge
line, elfin forest formations dominated by Lyonia annamensis, Lyonia
ovalifolia and the dwarf bamboo Arundinaria sp. are distributed.
Besides this, 65 mammal species are recorded in this park, of

8

III. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Approximately 500 leaf samples bearing various foliicolous
lichen species were collected and examined. Sampling for foliicolous
lichens was performed following the methods outlined by Lücking &
Lücking (1996). The specimens were collected from Chu Yang Sin
national park in the month of February and July, 2010. Because of
biodiversity act and security reasons, the collections were only
permitted to carry out in a small area of this national park (unit 1180).
The leaves bearing foliicolous lichens were cut or plugged out
and then pressed and air dried. Specimens are deposited in the
Korean Lichen Research Herbarium (KoLRI) of Sunchon National
University (SNU).
Identification of the foliicolous lichen specimens was based
on examination of morphological and anatomical features.
Morphology of thallus, vegetative structures, ascomata and
conidiomata were examined under Nikon SMZ 645
stereomicroscope. Hand cut sections for studying anatomical
characters were examined under a Nikon Eclipse E200 microscope.
Beside morphological and anatomical structures, the color
reactions of different parts were tested by the methods described by
Yoshimura (1974): K (10% aqueous KOH solution), I (Lugol’s
solution), KI (10% KOH followed by Lugol’s solution).
Microcrystallography and thin layer chromatography (Culberson
1972) was also carried out to identify the chemical compounds met
within the species that needs those tests for identification.

9

Conidiomata campylidia 12
12) Thallus continuous or laciniate, greenish to bluish grey, rich in
secondary compounds, conidia oblong-ellipsoid to drop-shaped
Sporopodium
Thallus dispersed into rounded patches, conidia filiform with clavate
apex Calopadia
10

2. Brief description of genera and their respective species
reported from Chu Yang Sin National Park

1) Arthonia Ach., Neues J. Bot. Erfurt 1: 3. 1806
The genus Arthonia belongs to family Arthoniaceae and is
characterized by dispersed or continuous, ecorticate, smooth or rarely
verrucose thallus; photobiont trentepohlioid (Phycopeltis); apothecia
adnate and spot-like or rarely lirellate; paraphyses branched and
anastomosing; ascospores transversely septate to muriform, colorless
to greyish brown; pycnidia rounded, conical to applanate; conidia
ellipsoid to cylindrical, non-septate to transversely septate, colorless.
So far 4 species pertaining to this genus are reported from
Vietnam of which 1 is foliicolous.

Arthonia cyanea var. cyanea f. cyanea Müll. Arg., Flora 64: 233. 1881.
Diagnostic characters: Thallus dispersed into rounded patches,
smooth, 10–15 mm across, 8–10 µm thick, ecorticate, greenish grey,
matt. Photobiont cells rectangular in radiate plates, 8–14 × 3–5 µm.
Apothecia rounded, 0.4–0.8 mm diam., 30–37 µm high, dark bluish
grey but with white pruina. Hypothecium 3–4 µm high, colorless, I+
yellow, KI+ pale yellow. Epithecium colorless to sordid green
granules, 5–7 µm high, I+ yellow. Hymenium 20–30 µm high,


1 cm

11

Habit and ascospores of
Arthonia cyanea var. cyanea.
Thallus with ascomata.
B. Ascospores
The species is not confused with
A. accolens – another species
differs in having rounded, non
-pruinose
septate ascospore
s.
examined: Vietnam, Daklak Prov., Chu Yang Sin
National Park. 12°28'22.8" N 108°20'32.8" E,
alt. 430 m, on leaf, 01
100463, 100471, 100487, 100488,
100489, 100504, 100513, 100515, 100516, 100525 (KoLRI);
108°20'21.7" E, alt. 776 m, on leaf, 04 July 2010,
Thi-
1
0
µ
m

12

2) Bacidina Vězda, Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 25: 431. 1990.
FIG. 4
Habit and ascospores of
A.
Thallus with apothecia;

Chemistry:
No substances detected by TLC.
Distribution: Pantropical
, extending into subtropical and wet
temperate zones.
Remarks:
This species is easily recognized by
isidia,
yellowish to orange apothecia that produce filiform ascospores
having the length of 20–
40 µm and
another species of Bacidina
differ
7-septate ascospores.
Specimens
examined: Vietnam
National Park. 12°27'08.4"
N 108°20
July 2010, Thi-Thuy Nguyen

108°20'33.3" E,
alt. 693 m, on leaf,
100717 (KoLRI).

m

25
µ
m

14

3) Byssoloma Trevis., Spighe Paglie: 6. 1853.
The genus Byssoloma belongs to the family Pilocarpaceae.
The three other genera that also belong to this family found in Chu
Yang Sin national park are Fellhanera, Calopadia and Sporopodium.
The species of Byssoloma can be recognized by dispersed or
continuous, smooth to farinose thallus of various colors; photobiont
chlorococcoid, apothecia sessile to adnate, rounded; margin biatorine,
usually byssoid and spreading over thallus surface; excipulum usually
composed of free loosely interwoven hyphae, hypothecium
prosoplectenchymatous, brown; hymenium colorless, I+ dark blue;
paraphyses branched and anastomosing; asci clavate, Byssoloma-
type, 8-spored; ascospores ellipsoid to cylindrical, transversely
septate, colorless; pycnidia sessile, hemispherical to wart-shaped;
conidia usually pyriform, non-septate, colorless.
There were 4 species of this genus found in Vietnam.

Key to foliicolous species of Byssoloma
in Chu Yang Sin national park
1. Ascospores 7-septate B. vanderystii
Ascospores 3-septate 2
2. Apothecia blackish brown, greyish white margin
B. chlorinum

16

Byssoloma subdiscordans var. subdiscordans (Nyl.) P. James,
Lichenologist 5: 126. 1971.
Diagnostic characters: Thallus dispersed into rounded patches,
5–10 mm across, 20–22 µm thick, green. Apothecia sessile, rounded,
0.3–0.5 mm diam., 120–200 µm high; disc plane to slightly convex,
pure black; margin well-developed, densely byssoid, pure white,
persistent and spreading laterally over thallus surface. Excipulum
well-developed, made of loosely woven hyphae, 50–130 µm broad,
colorless. Hypothecium 20–30 µm high, dark brown with purplish
tingle, K+ purplish. Apothecial base purplish brown. Epithecium 5–7
µm high, blackish brown. Hymenium 40–45 µm high, colorless. Asci
35–40 × 10–12 µm. Ascospores oblong-ellipsoid, 3-septate, non-
constricted at septa, 10–15 × 3–5 µm, 3–3.5 times as long as broad,
colorless. Pycnidia not observe.
Chemistry: No substances detected by TLC and HPLC.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan.
Remarks: B. subdiscordans f. subdiscordans can be easily
distinguished with other species which has 3-septate ascospores
found in Chu Yang Sin National Park such as B. chlorinum by typical
pure black apothecia with pure white margin. Besides that, it has
thallus that dispersed into rounded patches, slightly shiny and has
corticiform layer.
Specimens examined: Vietnam, Daklak Prov., Chu Yang Sin
National Park. 12°28'22.8" N 108°20'32.8" E, alt. 430 m, on leaf, 01
July 2010, Thi-Thuy Nguyen 100475, 100507 (KoLRI); 12°27'08.4"
N 108°20'20.1" E, alt. 774 m, on leaf, 03 July 2010, Thi-Thuy Nguyen
100559 (KoLRI); 12°27'07.7" N 108°20'21.7" E, alt. 776 m, on leaf,
04 July 2010, Thi-Thuy Nguyen 100600 (KoLRI);