# Pyxine jolyana

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Species of lichen-forming fungus

Pyxine jolyana Scientific classification Kingdom: Fungi Division: Ascomycota Class: Lecanoromycetes Order: Caliciales Family: Caliciaceae Genus: Pyxine Species: P. jolyana Binomial name Pyxine jolyana Jungbluth, Kalb & Marcelli (2011) Type locality: Jureia-Itatins Ecological Station, Brazil[1]

***Pyxine jolyana*** is a species of [foliose lichen](/source/Foliose_lichen) in the family [Caliciaceae](/source/Caliciaceae).[2] It is known from southeastern Brazil, where it grows on rocks and tree bark in coastal and near-coastal areas from sea level to about 915 m (3,000 ft) elevation. The species is distinguished by its brownish-gray [rosettes](/source/Rosette_(botany)) with narrow [lobes](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#lobes), pale yellow powdery patches near the lobe edges, and an unusual chemical combination of [lichexanthone](/source/Lichexanthone) in the upper layer and [norstictic acid](/source/Norstictic_acid) in the interior tissue.

## Taxonomy

*Pyxine jolyana* was [described](/source/Species_description) as a new species in 2011 by Patrícia Jungbluth, [Klaus Kalb](/source/Klaus_Kalb), and Marcelo Pinto Marcelli, based on material collected in [São Paulo State](/source/S%C3%A3o_Paulo_State), Brazil. The [species epithet](/source/Botanical_name) honors Carlos Alfredo Joly for his role in supporting [biodiversity](/source/Biodiversity) work in São Paulo State.[1]

In overall appearance it resembles some other small-lobed, gray-brown members of *[Pyxine](/source/Pyxine)*, but it is set apart by its chemistry: it contains [lichexanthone](/source/Lichexanthone) in the upper [cortex](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#cortex) and [norstictic acid](/source/Norstictic_acid) in the [medulla](/source/Medulla_(lichenology)), a combination that is uncommon in South American members of the genus. It is also distinguished by its frequent, pale yellow [soralia](/source/Soralia) (the powdery structures that release [soredia](/source/Soredia)) and by the patchy yellow-to-salmon pigmentation that develops in the upper medulla, which can vary across the [thallus](/source/Thallus).[1]

## Description

The thallus (lichen body) is tightly attached to its [substrate](/source/Substrate_(biology)) and usually forms a roughly circular [rosette](/source/Rosette_(botany)) up to about 7 cm (2.8 in) across. It is brownish gray and divided into narrow lobes ([laciniae](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#laciniae)) about 0.5–1.0 mm wide, with rounded to slightly squared-off tips. The upper surface is mostly smooth and lacks [isidia](/source/Isidia) or other solid vegetative outgrowths, but soralia are common and tend to sit just inside the lobe margins; the soredia are powdery to slightly granular. The lower surface is black (often a bit paler toward the lobe tips) and bears many [simple](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#simple) (unbranched) [rhizines](/source/Rhizine) of similar color, reaching about 0.7 mm long.[1]

Internally, the medulla is variably colored: it may be cream to pale yellow to salmon in upper parts, and sulphur-yellow beneath soralia, while a thin lower layer can remain white. In older central areas a reddish-purple pigment reaction may appear with [potassium hydroxide](/source/Potassium_hydroxide) solution (the [K test](/source/K_test)). [Pycnidia](/source/Pycnidia) are rare and occur on the upper surface; the conidia are small and flask-shaped. Chemically, the cortex contains lichexanthone (giving a yellow [fluorescence](/source/Fluorescence) under [ultraviolet](/source/Ultraviolet) light), while the medulla contains norstictic acid along with [triterpenes](/source/Triterpene) and pigments; the norstictic acid can be unevenly distributed, so spot tests from the lobe tips alone may miss it.[1]

## Habitat and distribution

This species was originally known from São Paulo State in southeastern Brazil, with records from coastal and near-coastal localities (including [Peruíbe](/source/Peru%C3%ADbe), [Ubatuba](/source/Ubatuba), and [São Luís do Paraitinga](/source/S%C3%A3o_Lu%C3%ADs_do_Paraitinga)). It occurs from near sea level (about 1–5 m) up to at least 915 m (3,000 ft) elevation.[1] It has since been recorded from [Minas Gerais](/source/Minas_Gerais).[3][4]

*Pyxine jolyana* grows either on rock ([saxicolous](/source/Saxicolous_lichen)) or on bark and woody surfaces ([corticolous](/source/Corticolous_lichen)). Collections include thalli on coastal rocks, on palm stipes near a river mouth in windy, sun-exposed conditions, and on twigs and tree trunks at the edges of forest (including [restinga](/source/Restinga) vegetation near the ocean and shaded forest margins).[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Jungbluth_et_al._2011_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Jungbluth_et_al._2011_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Jungbluth_et_al._2011_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Jungbluth_et_al._2011_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Jungbluth_et_al._2011_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Jungbluth_et_al._2011_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Jungbluth_et_al._2011_1-6) Jungbluth, P.; Marcelli, P.M.; Kalb, K. (2011). ["A new species and a new record of *Pyxine* (Physciaceae) with norstictic acid from São Paulo State, Brazil"](https://doi.org/10.5248%2F115.435). *Mycotaxon*. **115**: 435–442. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5248/115.435](https://doi.org/10.5248%2F115.435).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CoL_4QYK3_2-0)** ["*Pyxine jolyana* Jungbluth, Kalb & Marcelli"](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/4QYK3). *[Catalogue of Life](/source/Catalogue_of_Life)*. [Species 2000](/source/Species_2000): Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved January 28, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Aptroot_et_al._2022_3-0)** Aptroot, André; de Souza, Maria Fernanda; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva; dos Santos, Lidiane Alves; Spielmann, Adriano Afonso (2022). ["New lichen records from Brazil"](https://d-nb.info/1253929912/34). *Archive for Lichenology*. **31**: 44.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Aptroot_et_al._2025_4-0)** Aptroot, André; da Silva Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia; dos Santos, Lidiane Alves; Benatti, Michel N.; Canêz, Luciana; Forno, Manuela Dal; Feuerstein, Shirley C.; Vidigal Fraga Junior, Carlos Augusto; Gerlach, Alice C. L.; Gumboski, Emerson Luiz; Jungbluth, Patrícia; Käffer, Márcia I.; Kalb, Klaus; Koch, Natália M.; Lücking, Robert; Torres, Jean-Marc; Spielmann, Adriano A. (2025). "The Brazilian lichen checklist: 4,828 accepted taxa constitute a country-level world record". *The Bryologist*. **128** (2): 96–423 [292]. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1639/0007-2745-128.2.96](https://doi.org/10.1639%2F0007-2745-128.2.96).

Taxon identifiers Pyxine jolyana Wikidata: Q78391050 Wikispecies: Pyxine jolyana CoL: 4QYK3 GBIF: 8218801 IndexFungorum: 519465 MycoBank: 519465 Open Tree of Life: 5313934 SpeciesFungorum: 519465

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pyxine jolyana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyxine_jolyana) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyxine_jolyana?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.