Niebla josecuervoi
is a fruticose lichen endemic to the Baja California peninsula along the
Pacific Coast, occurring on rocks, occasionally terricolous, from the Northern Vizcaíno Desert
(NVD) north into the Chaparral Desert Transition (CDT—between El
Rosario and Campo Nuevo), documented by specimens collected from Punta Rocosa
north to Ejido Erendira.
Unlike
Niebla arenaria
that occasionally forms a
single dominant Niebla community, N. josecuervoi
is usually a member of a multi-species Niebla community. In its northern
range, such as in the coastal chaparral region between San Quintín and San
Vicente, it occurs on rocks with N. fimbriata
(sekikaic acid). Around Bahía
de San Quintín it is commonly associated with N. homalea
(divaricatic acid), N. eburnea (divaricatic
acid) and N. juncosa var. spinulifera (divaricatic acid).
In the CDT southwest of El Rosario, terricolous forms
grow on lava mesas in association with N. effusa
(salazinic acid), N. arenaria (salazinic
acid), and N. juncosa var. spinulifera. In the NVD, it is saxicolous, primarily with
N. turgida (divaricatic
acid) on Mesa Santa Catarina and along beaches with N. flabellata (salazinic acid).
Further south, it is associated with numerous species of Niebla,
especially in a highly diverse Niebla community on Mesa Camacho.
South of Punta Rocosa,
N. josecuervoi is replaced by N. marinii (salazinic acid) as seen at
Morro Santo Domingo where N. marinii is
notably dominant in a Niebla community that included
N. lobulata
and N. juncosa var. juncosa within a higher plant community of Joshua tree woodland of
Yucca
vallida; however, intermediate forms are evident by specimens having a shiny
smooth cortex with the typical fragmentation branchlets, in contrast to
the rough cortex of N. josecuervoi. Both species were named after field assistants, José Cuervo,
also a well-known name for a brand of Tequila,
and Richard Marin.
Niebla josecuervoi
is distinguished by having salazinic acid and by producing numerous
fragmentation branchlets, pectinately arranged (comb-like) along a main basal branch,
frequently bifurcate near apex.
Apothecia usually develop on the spinuliferous (fragmentation) branchlets. Most thalli bear
apothecia (>90%, Spjut 1996) in contrast to the terricolous
N.
effusa (salazinic acid) with less frequent apothecia (~66%, Spjut 1996) and
with the fragmentation branchlets confined more to an apical dilated branch.
Another related salazinic-acid species, N. arenaria,
in which apothecia are rarely
present, has relatively short bifurcate spine-like (acicular) branchlets.
Occasionally, fragmentation branchlets are not evident in N. josecuervoi,
the species then recognized by the linear-like branches with a rough reticulated
cortex,
Niebla josecuervoi
is morphologically similar to N. fimbriata (sekikaic acid),
N.
turgida (divaricatic acid), N. juncosa (divaricatic acid, and
N.
pulchribarbara (protocetraric acid). They are easily identified by their lichen substances. Other salazinic acid species such
as N. marinii and
N. angulata (Spjut ined.) are identified by the
lack of fragmentation branchlets; their basal branches mostly divide
dichotomously into equal branch segments. Another salazinic-acid
species, N. flabellata, differs by
the thallus divided into small tufts of flattened lacerated
branches.
An ITS phylogenetic tree (draft, unpublished) combining data from Spjut
et al. (2020) and (Jorna et al. 2021, Leavitt comm.) shows Niebla josecuervoi in two
or three clades including specimens from the type locality
(nr San Quintín, Volcan Sudoeste) where
one clade appears sister to the
N. spatulata complex on the
Vizcaíno Peninsula. Spjut et al. (2020) in a BPP analysis of five
specimens of N. josecuervoi (sensu Spjut 1996) determined that
they represent four species, overlapping with undetermined character
traits for other depsidone species. Jorna et al. (2021), employing
numerous loci resulting from high-throughput sequencing could recognize nine
depsidone species from a BPP analysis as also by Spjut et al. (2020)
based on six loci, while both studies also found that as few as three
species may be represented employing other analytical methods.
Although the depsidone clade would appear of more recent
derivation as related to its endemism to the NVD and CDT, N.
josecuervoi still includes cryptic species and shows disjunct
phylogeographic relationships seen in the more widely distributed
depside clades.
The type specimen for N. josecuervoi was reported in the private
herbarium of Rundel (Rundel et al. 1972), while a later report by the
University of California at Los Angeles (LA) mentioned the Rundel lichen
collections at LA were transferred to RAMK in 2007.
Additional References: See
Niebla.
