Niebla infundibula

Niebla infundibula has been difficult to define. As the Niebla ms evolved (before publication), specimens were left at the Smithsonian (US) for deposit. I recall Mason Hale holding up specimens of N. infundibula and commenting on just how "massive" they were. Their weight was indeed remarkable for the size, and this only reinforced the idea that such specimens represented a distinct species. The type collection has the largest apothecia and pycnidia in the genus. However, variation in the presence vs. absence of apothecia, and differences in thallus size are not easily defined due to a great deal of variation within and among species of Niebla. The epithet, infundibula was given because the funnel-form shape of the main branch seemed distinctive.

The original (type) collection was south of El Marrón on volcanic rocks, piled above the main ridge line, ~500 m elevation; other peaks in the area were indicated on maps to reach nearly 900 m. Oceanic ridges in this area were not easily accessible, and had been observed in previous years to have fog lingering for much of the day. In 1985, we had tried to reach the fog area by hiking west from the Santa Rosalillita-Punta Prieta Road, but then found the distance was too much for one day. The next year we discovered an old track (not on any map) south of Punta Prieta that terminated near the base of a mountain where we also felt more secure about leaving our vehicles. We then hiked west up a slope to the ridge to where we were able to see the ocean. The Nieblas were lush all along the ridge and slopes. Marin and McCloud went off to take pictures while Spjut collected lichens. Towards the end of the day, Spjut came across a large rock outcropping on a very windy part of the ridge that undoubtedly received more than average moisture from the oceanic advection atmosphere. Marin assisted in winding-up the collection, upon which an attempt was being made to sort out specimens according to species for anticancer screening, voucher specimens of which later named N. infundibula, N. homaleoides, N. josecuervoi, N. juncosa, N. sorocarpia, Vermilacinia paleoderma, and V. rigida. However, because the species were not clearly understood, the samples were kept as specimens for taxonomic studies, with exception to V. paleoderma that was later submitted for a chemical study.

Niebla josecuervoi and N. homaleoides were easily separated from others at the type locality of N. infundibula by their chemical constituents. The remainder, N. juncosa and N. sorocarpia, have the same chemistry as that of N. infundibula, divaricatic acid. The type collection for N. infundibula is distinct for the rigid, heavily gelatinzed thallus, and large apothecia, that for N. juncosa by the numerous capillary brittle branchlets, and that for N. sorocarpia for the “broccoli” appearance as a result of aggregate apothecia on apical dilated lobes. Not unlike Niebla populations at other sites, there were intermediates between what seemed like distinct species, some had aggregates of bead-like apothecia on capillary branchlets, while others that were more brittle like N. juncosa, had dilated lobes similar to N. infundibula or N. sorocarpia. Should the circumscription of N. sorocarpia include the specimens without apothecia, or should N. infundibula include thalli with brittle branches and apical expanded lobes, or should the apothecia character be disregarded entirely, or could all the apparent intermediates belong to another species?

Phillip Rundel had once commented in a letter I received from him that a study of Niebla should consider collections throughout the range of the genus. I whole-heartedly agree with this, which is in sharp contrast to the piece-meal publications on limited geographic areas by Bowler, Marsh and Riefner in Phytologia and Mycotaxon.

Mason Hale also had once asked if I was finding new species at every new location. The idea of naming every variant did not agree with me. My study is perhaps biased towards looking for reinforcement on morphological patterns based on collections from other locations; however, where there are exceptionally distinct morphologies or chemo types, they were given species status, examples of which are N. pulchribarbara, N. ramosissima, N. tesselata, and N. versiforma.

There were specimens from San Nicolas Island and Isla Guadalupe that compared more favorably with N. infundibula than with other species in the genus (cited in Spjut 1996), and later many specimens of N. juncosa were found from peninsular Baja California that compared with the type. Many apparent intermediates may be characterized as having a brittle thallus—one that easily falls apart in the herbarium, and by having branchlets irregularly dilated near apex. In the WBA herbarium these are filed under N. infundibula. Additional collections of N. infundibula are recognized from a peak above Punta Rocosa, not far from the type locality, which is shown on the cover of the Spjut (1996) publication.