{{Short description|Single-species lichen genus}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Speciesbox | image = Hondaria leptospora.jpg | image_caption = ''Hondaria leptospora''; image shows ornamented apothecia with granular isidia on the margin. Scale bar is 5 mm | parent_authority = Kitaura & A.P.Lorenz (2020) | taxon = Hondaria leptospora | authority = (Malme) Kitaura, M.C.Scur & A.P.Lorenz (2020) | synonyms_ref = <ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy"/> | synonyms = *''Arctomia leptospora'' {{au|(Malme) Otálora & Wedin (2013)}} *''Collema leptosporum'' {{au|Malme (1924)}} }}
'''''Hondaria''''' is a single-species fungal genus in the family Collemataceae.<ref name="CoL"/> It contains the species '''''Hondaria leptospora''''', a corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen. This lichen was previously classified under the genus ''Collema'', and later ''Arctomia'', but molecular research combined with morphological analysis indicates that it forms a distinct genus. Named in honour of Dr. Neli Kika Honda, a researcher of lichen chemistry, ''Hondaria leptospora'' is notable for its long, thin, transversely-septate {{lichengloss|ascospores}}, the longest within its family. The species is found predominantly in the west-central regions of Brazil near the borders with Bolivia and Paraguay.
==Taxonomy== The species now known as ''Hondaria leptospora'' was originally discovered by the Swedish botanist Gustaf Oskar Andersson Malme in the late 19th century, during the First Regnellian Expedition, and published as a new species in 1924.<ref name="Malme 1924"/> At the time, the lichen was classified as ''Collema leptosporum'' and was identified as part of the ''Collema fasciculare'' group within the family Collemataceae. This group, including ''Collema fasciculare'', ''C. papuanorum'', and ''C. uviforme'', was later reassigned to the genus ''Arctomia'' in the family Arctomiaceae. This reclassification was based on the molecular analysis of ''C. fasciculare'', although no molecular data were obtained for the other species. However, ''Hondaria leptospora'' was found to be genetically distinct from ''Arctomia'' through the study of DNA sequences, resulting in the creation of the new genus ''Hondaria''. The genus is named in tribute to Dr. Neli Kika Honda, who has extensively researched the chemistry of lichens in the region since 1992.<ref name="Kitaura et al. 2020"/>
==Description== ''Hondaria leptospora'' is a foliose lichen, medium-sized and {{lichengloss|homoiomerous}}, with a darkly coloured thallus that can appear black to dark olive brown when dry. The lichen's {{lichengloss|lobes}} are irregularly outlined and branched, and bear granular {{lichengloss|isidia}}, tiny outgrowths on the lichen surface. Notable features of the lichen include its {{lichengloss|ascospores}}, which are long and thin (typically 120–175 by 2–4 μm) and transversely septate, a characteristic that helps distinguish it from other similar species. The {{lichengloss|apothecia}}, or spore-producing structures, are {{lichengloss|laminal}} and {{lichengloss|pedicellate}}, adorned with isidia, and display a reddish-brown {{lichengloss|disc}}. These characteristics, coupled with genetic data, help separate ''Hondaria leptospora'' from the other members of the former ''C. fasciculare'' group.<ref name="Kitaura et al. 2020"/>
==Similar species==
In terms of appearance and morphology, ''Hondaria leptospora'' shares notable similarities with other species, such as ''Arctomia papuanorum'' and ''A. uviforme''. Like ''H. leptospora'', both these species boast a thick {{lichengloss|paraplectenchymatous}} {{lichengloss|proper exciple}}, setting them apart from ''Gabura fasciculare''. Their phylogenetic relation to ''Hondaria'' is yet to be definitively determined due to the absence of DNA sequence data for these species.<ref name="Kitaura et al. 2020"/>
''Hondaria leptospora'' distinguishes itself by having the longest and thinnest ascospores within the previously identified ''C. fasciculare'' group, according to prior research by Degelius (1974)<ref name="Degelius 1974"/> and Otálora and Wedin (2013).<ref name="Otálora & Wedin 2013"/><ref name="Kitaura et al. 2020"/>
==Habitat and distribution== ''Hondaria leptospora'' is found predominantly in the west-central region of Brazil, particularly near the borders with Bolivia and Paraguay. The region is noted for its diverse vegetation formations, including the Pantanal wetlands, the Brazilian savanna known as the Cerrado, and the Chaco. The lichen grows on the bark of trees in these areas.<ref name="Kitaura et al. 2020"/>
==References== {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="CoL">{{Catalogue of Life |id=9YLVN |title=''Hondaria'' |access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="Degelius 1974">{{cite journal |last=Degelius |first=G. |year=1974 |title=The lichen genus ''Collema'' with special reference to the extra-European species |journal=Symbolae Botanicae Upsaliensis |volume=20 |pages=1–215}}</ref>
<ref name="Kitaura et al. 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Kitaura |first1=Marcos Junji |last2=Scur |first2=Mayara Camila |last3=Theodoro |first3=Josiane Vogel Cortina |last4=Piovezan-Borges |first4=Ana Cláudia |last5=Lorenz |first5=Aline Pedroso |title=''Hondaria'', a new genus of Collemataceae (Ascomycota lichenized) from South America |journal=Acta Botanica Brasilica |volume=34 |issue=4 |year=2020 |doi=10.1590/0102-33062020abb0093 |pages=615–622 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2020AcBBr..34..615K }}</ref>
<ref name="Malme 1924">{{cite journal |last=Malme |first=G.O.A. |year=1924 |title=Die Collematazeen des Regnellschen Herbars |journal=Arkiv för Botanik |volume=19 |pages=1–29 |language=de}}</ref>
<ref name="Otálora & Wedin 2013">{{cite journal |last1=Otálora |first1=Mónica A.G. |last2=Wedin |first2=Mats |title=''Collema fasciculare'' belongs in Arctomiaceae |journal=The Lichenologist |volume=45 |issue=3 |year=2013 |doi=10.1017/s0024282912000849 |pages=295–304|bibcode=2013ThLic..45..295O |s2cid=53648517 |url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nrm:diva-65 }}</ref>
<ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy">{{cite web |title=Synonymy. Current Name: ''Hondaria leptospora'' (Malme) Kitaura, M.C. Scur & A.P. Lorenz, in Kitaura, Scur, Theodoro, Piovezan-Borges & Lorenz, Acta Bot. Brasilica 34(4): 618 (2020) |url=https://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/SynSpecies.asp?RecordID=835522 |publisher=Species Fungorum |access-date=19 May 2023}}</ref>
}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q110013429 |from2=Q110013444}}
Category:Peltigerales Category:Peltigerales genera Category:Monotypic Lecanoromycetes genera Category:Lichen genera Category:Taxa described in 2020