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Project Noah Nature School
Coenogonium leprieurii
Green circular lichen in a branch. I've never seen this before.
Lacandon Rainforest.
Spotted on Dec 9, 2013
Submitted on Feb 2, 2014
29 Comments (1–25)
I found it Luis! Here is my spotting, they are similar.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/313...
I hope you find it again Dan.
Cool spotting Luis. I must say I'm a bit surprised it's so rare. Seems like I've seen something very similar here many times in Malaysia. So much so that I haven't even photographed it yet. Always thinking, I'll get it next time. Now I will be keeping a keen eye out for it to see how similar it is.
Lars, I understand your point. But we must remember that PN users go from young amateurs to seasoned scientists. Luis did his part, and did it well. Now, it is for the pros to confirm the ID. Now they know where to find that lichen, if it is really important, they will go there to collect it. A decisive ID may not be possible just for photos, but I wonder if it is so important for us. As I often write here, I am not a scientist, and more than a half of my spottings don't have an ID. It is not a problem for me, I just hope that my spottings catch people's attention, and that and they motivate people to study the nature of Brazil. I certainly would love to spend some time in Mexico, thanks to Luis's photos. I've seen some wrong IDs in PN, but I must say that I never dreamed to learn as much than I've learned these last three years.
Thank you Adarsha.
I agree with Arya, it was ID by Robert Lücking, PhD, Collections Manager (Fungi) and Adjunct Curator (Lichens) Chair, Scholarship Committee, Science & Education, The Field Museum in Chicago. And he said " that is a Coenogonium, most likely C. leprieurii, recognizable by the very regular, dense and flat semicircular thalli."
Lars: I would think, them being experts, could narrow down the ID especially with their vast database and knowledge. You're correct in the sense that they cannot be 100% positive, but you have to remember what this website is. It's a collection of people who are passionate about nature and PN "is designed to help people reconnect with the natural world.".
How can they confirm such a rarity just by pictures...sounds not very expert to me...but hey..
Amazing find Luis :)
Thank you Yasser.
A real amazing find Luis! I'm so happy that you shared it, that Mark recognized it, and that we got a solid confirmation from a world's authority. Another magical PN series of events :) And Sergio, your spotting looks very similar as well!!
Luis, don't you think it looks a bit like this one? http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/788...
Hey your ID has solid credibility now anyway. It's a beautiful thing btw. I can easily imagine finding stuff like that in an original tropical jungle. Must be a fantastic place.
Thank you Mark. You set the events in motion
Excellent outcome Luis. Worthwhile checking with the experts.
Thank you Arya and Lars. I've email Duke's fungi department for a confirmation. Let's see what they say about it.
I wonder how this could be identified that easily just by a picture, without sporeprint, microscope analysis and even different angles of it.
Btw, if it's actually the named species, it's classified as a Lichen, not a fungus.
As for my eye, the picture provided with the link of Mark looks pretty much different to the one Luis took. The region fits, but that's not much of a proof.
Sorry if I slow down the euphoria about that find.
I agree with Yasser, you should contact biologist at Duke with this. Great find!
Thank you Lauren, Pamsai, Sergio and Arlanda.
Great find, Luis!
Congratulations, Luis.The forest is full of surprises, and this spotting shows how amateurs like us can make a great contribution to science.
well done Luis... Easy to see why it would be difficult to spot!
This is wonderful Luis! A lichen no less and so unique!
Thank you Leuba and Yasser. Unfortunately I found this fungus during my trip to Lacandon rainforest in December. It is located in the very South of Mexico.This rainforest is the last remaining high rainforest in North America. It has lost 50% of its area in the last 40 years. It is now protected forbidding further clearing of the jungle. The fungus is easy to miss because it grows in the branches and looks like leaves of the tree.
Very fascinating. I think we should reach out to the researchers associated with the publication Mark linked to. It could be a useful observation and potential specimen to collect if you can find it again Luis! :)