Type. [U.S.A.] CALIFORNIA. San Mateo Co., Point San Pedro, 300 ft., on dead twigs of Baccharia filularis with Lecidea ramulicola H. Magn., 22/05/1942, A.W.C.[T.] Herre s.n. (holotype - UPS!).
Description.Thallus crustose, ochraceous to brown, thin to thick, continuous at first, quickly becoming rimose, then areolate; areoles to 0.60-1.10 mm wide, with margins often raised to give a subsquamulose appearance; surface plane, matt to shining; margin determinate; prothallus lacking; vegetative propagules sometimes present; blastidia may proliferate from areole margins, papillate, 0.10-0.30 x 0.10-0.15 mm; often comprised of consoredia 60-80 µm in diam. Apothecia erumpent, remaining broadly attached, frequent but rarely contiguous, to 0.45-0.70 mm in diam.; disc dark brown to black, quickly becoming convex, sometimes half-globose; thalline margin typically concolourous with thallus, entire, 0.05-0.10 mm wide, sometimes blastidiate, frequently becoming excluded; excipular ring often present, confluent. ApothecialAnatomy. Thalline exciple 50-80 µm wide laterally; cortex 10-20 µm wide; epinecral layer 5-20 µm wide; crystals absent in cortex and medulla; cortical cells to 4.0-6.5 µm wide, pigmented or not; algal cells to 11.0-16.0(-24.0) µm long; proper exciple 5-20 µm wide laterally, expanding to 15-30(-40) µm wide at periphery; hypothecium hyaline or yellowish, 50-110 µm deep; hymenium 80-100 µm high, not inspersed; paraphyses 2.0-3.0 µm wide, not conglutinate, with apices expanded to 4.0-6.0 µm wide, pigmented brown forming a red‑brown epihymenium, not immersed in dispersed pigment; asci 60-80 x 19-26 µm. Ascospores 4-8/ascus, Type A development, Teichophila-type, (16.0-)19.5-20.0(-23.5) x (8.0-)10.0-11.0(-13.0) µm, average l/b ratio 1.8-2.0, sometimes swollen at septum when immature but not more so in KOH, lumina small, Physcia-like at first, then Mischoblastia-like, finally becoming rounded but retaining relatively thick walls (Pachysporaria-like); torus absent but dark band often develops from a refractive septal disc in mature spores; walls ornamented or not, ornamentation less visible in darkly pigmented mature spores. Pycnidia immersed, ostioles pigmented brown; conidiophores type I; conidia bacilliform, 3.5-4.0 x ca. 1.0 µm.
Chemistry. Spot tests all negative; secondary metabolites not detected.
Substrate and Ecology. Corticolous and often eutrophic being found in water runnels on tree boles, or on horizontal branches, and other sites where dust accumulates, more rarely on wood or soil. Collected on Artemisia californica, Ceanothus, Cupressus macrocarpa, Populus, Quercus agrifolia, Q. dumosa, Q. emoryii, Q. pacifica, Q. tomentella and Rhus integrifolia, from sea level to 1,475 m. One of the most commonly collected Rinodina species in southern California, most frequently occurring on Quercus. It has been collected with R. bolanderi, R. capensis and R. santae-monicae.
Distribution. A North American endemic belonging to the Californian floristic element, with a mainly coastal distribution, also from Baja California, including Guadalupe Island. The record from Mayne Island, British Columbia represents another Californian addition to the flora of this region.
Notes.Rinodina herrei typically possesses a plane to rimose-areolate thallus, the areoles having raised margins sometimes developing blastidia, and erumpent apothecia with discs rapidly becoming convex, giving well developed specimens a similar appearance to R. juniperina. The species are easily distinguished since R. juniperina has smaller, Physcia-type spores and has a Colorado Plateau type of distribution. Forms with the thalline margin excluded may resemble R. hallii because of the convex apothecia and the continuous or rimose thallus. However, R. hallii is well distinguished by its pruinose apothecia and larger, Physcia-type spores. It should be noted that the red‑brown pigmentation of the epihymenium of R. herrei is due to the pigmented cap of the paraphyses apical cells and is not due to a dispersed pigment in the hymenial gelatin as in most other species with a red‑brown epihymenium.
Specimens growing on soil may resemble the habit of R. intermedia, a species easily distinguished by its three septate to submuriform spores. Given that the spore dimensions of terricolous specimens are at the large end of the range for R. herrei, it may be that soil is a preferred substrate as long as it is stable enough to allow colonization.
The holotype of R. herrei has a small thallus which is atypically light in colour and poorly developed. However, the anatomical characters of the apothecium, particularly the spores are characteristic of the whole population. The spores of R. herrei have a comparable morphology to those of R. australiensis Müll. Arg. (Mayrhofer et al. 1999), although smaller. The two species have other similarities in thallus colour, their often subsquamulose areole margins with their tendency to develop blastidia, and also in their brown apothecial discs which become convex.
Mature spores of R. herrei frequently possess a pigmented band around the septum which resembles a torus and was mistakenly described as such by Sheard (2004). The development of this band starts around a refractive disc between the lumina canals, apparently by pigmentation of an inner wall layer (endospore wall?). The refractive disc is quickly occluded as the pigmented band extends laterally and becomes darker.
Specimens examined. CANADA. BRITISH COLUMBIA. Mayne Island, 1914, J. Macoun (FH). MEXICO. BAJA CALIFORNIA NORTE. 2 km SE Colonet, C.M. Wetmore 79102 (MIN); Guadalupe Island, T.H. Nash 38432 (ASU); Punta Santo Tomas, C.M. Wetmore 63481 (MIN); R.S. Egan 13706 (MIN); T.H. Nash 25184, 39150; SONORA. Agua Prieta, T.H. Nash 12416 (both ASU). U.S.A. CALIFORNIA. Los Angeles Co., San Gabriel Wilderness, B.D. Ryan 24418c (ASU); Santa Catalina Island, 1966, W.A. Weber (ASU, CANL, COLO, MICH, UC, US, WIS); 1993, S. Sharnoff (CANL); B.D. Ryan 30987 (ASU); C.M. Wetmore 73241, 73273, 73275, 73417, 73488, 73505 (MIN); J.W. Sheard 5007b, 5009, 5010a, 5013, 5018a, 5022a, 5024a, 5028, 5033, 5036e (SASK); T.H. Nash 32051, 32081, 32137, 32163, 32251, 34129 (ASU); C.C. Bratt 11524, 11690 (SBBG); 1895, H.E. Hasse (ABSL); Marin Co., Point San Pedro, 1904, A.W. Herre (NY); 1942, A.C. Herre (UPS); Monterey Co., Monterey Peninsula, S.C. Tucker 36006 (MSC); Point Lobos State Reserve, P. van den Boom 29368 (personal herb.); Riverside Co., Dripping Springs, B.D. Ryan 26052 (ASU); San Bernadino Co., Upland, J.M. Johnston 3037 (FH); San Diego Co., Cabrillo Nat. Mon., K. Knudsen 2660 (Lendemer personal herb.); San Luis Obispo Co., Baywood, S.C. Tucker 35087 (SBBG); Los Osos, J.C. Lendemer 5715 (personal herb.); S.C. Tucker 35086 (SBBG); Morro Bay, R.E. Riefner 90‑21 (WIS); San Mateo Co., Black Mountain, 1903, A.C. Herre (FH); Santa Barbara Co., Santa Cruz Island, C.M. Wetmore 73537, 74102 (MIN); T.H. Nash 32267, 32318 (ASU); C.C. Bratt 3065 (SBBG); J.W. Sheard 5129; Santa Rosa Island, J.W. Sheard 5044a, 5050, 5072d, 5082a, 5095, 5098c, 5101a (all SASK); C.M. Wetmore 73795 (MIN); T.H. Nash 32629, 32872; J. Marsh 6958; B.D. Ryan 31228, 31245b (all ASU); Santa Clara Co., Mayfield, A.C. Herre 470; Palo Alto, 1901, L. Abrans; Stevens Creek, 1906, A.C. Herre (all FH); Tulare Co., Redwood Canyon, J.L. Blakeman 278 (MIN); Ventura Co., Santa Monica Mountains, H.E. Hasse (DUKE).
Reference. Sheard (2004 Fig. 63).
Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.
Thallus: crustose, thin to thick, continuous at first, quickly becoming rimose and then areolate, areoles up to 0.6-1.1 mm wide, with margins often raised to give a subsquamulose appearance, otherwise plane surface: ochraceous to brown, dull to shiny; margin: determinate; prothallus: lacking blastidia: sometimes present, proliferating from areole margins, 0.1-0.3 x 0.1-0.15 mm, comprised of consoredia, 60-80 µm in diam. Apothecia: erumpent, remaining adnate, frequent but rarely contiguous, up to 0.45-0.7 mm in diam. disc: dark brown to black, quickly becoming convex, sometimes half-globose thalline margin: typically concolorous with thallus, entire, sometimes blastidiate, 0.05-0.1 mm wide, frequently becoming excluded; excipular ring: often present: confluent thalline exciple: 50-80 µm wide laterally; cortex: 10-20 µm wide; epinecral layer: 5-20 µm wide; cortical cells: up to 4-6.5 µm wide, pigmented or not; algal cells: up to 11-16(-24) µm in diam. proper exciple: 5-20 µm wide laterally, expanding to 15-30(-40) µm wide at periphery hymenium: 80-100 µm tall; paraphyses: 2-3 µm wide, not conglutinate, with apices expanded up to 4-6 µm wide, pigmented brown forming a red-brown epihymenium, not immersed in dispersed pigment; hypothecium: hyaline or light yellow, 50-110 µm thick asci: clavate, 60-80 x 19-26 µm, 8-spored ascospores: brown, 1-septate, ellipsoid, type A development, Teichophila-type, (15.5-)19-20(-23.5) x (8)10-11(-13) µm, many elongate-ellipsoid at first, becoming broadly ellipsoid with apices often remaining rather pointed, sometimes swollen at septum but not more so in K, lumina small, Mischoblastia-like at first, then Physcialike, becoming rounded but retaining relatively thick walls (Pachysporaria-like); torus: present, heavily pigmented at maturity; walls: lightly ornamented or not, ornamentation less visible in darkly pigmented spores (Fig. 63) Pycnidia: immersed, ostioles pigmented brown; conidiophores: type I conidia: bacilliform, 3.5-4 x c. 1 µm Spot tests: all negative Secondary metabolites: none detected. Substrate and ecology: often on eutrophic bark, especially Quercus, in water runnels on tree boles, or on horizontal branches, and other sites where dust accumulates, more rarely on wood or soil World distribution: a North American endemic belonging to the Californian floristic element with an oceanic distribution from Mayne Island, British Columbia (outlier) to northern Mexico Sonoran distribution: one of the most commonly collected Rinodina species in southern California, also from Baja California, from sea-level to 1475 m. Notes: Rinodina herrei typically possesses a plane to rimose-areolate thallus, the areoles having raised margins sometimes developing blastidia, and erumpent apothecia with discs rapidly becoming convex, giving well developed specimens a similar appearance to R. juniperina. The species are otherwise easily distinguished since R. juniperina has smaller, Physcia-type spores and has a continental distribution. Forms with the thalline margin excluded may resemble R. hallii because of the convex apothecia and the continuous or rimose thallus. However, R. hallii is well distinguished by its pruinose apothecia and larger, Physcia-type spores. Specimens growing on soil may resemble R. intermedia, a species easily distinguished by its three septate to pseudomuriform spores.