Circinaria mansourii (Sohrabi) Sohrabi

Circinaria mansourii (Sohrabi) Sohrabi is a terricolous (ground-dwelling) crustose lichen species belonging to the family Megasporaceae (order Pertusariales).

Taxonomic History

• Basionym: Aspicilia mansourii Sohrabi (published in 2011 in Phytotaxa).

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• Current Combination: Circinaria mansourii (Sohrabi) Sohrabi (transferred in 2013 in The Lichenologist following molecular phylogenetic analyses).

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• Etymology: The specific epithet honors Reza Mansouri, an Iranian physicist.

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Morphology & Characteristics

• Thallus: Crustose to somewhat squamuliform or centrally warted and peripherally lobed, featuring long prothallus-like extensions attached to the tips of the lobes and rhizomorph-like structures on the lower surface.

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• Reproductive Structures: Apothecia and pycnidia are typically absent or unobserved in this species.

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• Chemistry: Contains aspicilin as a major secondary metabolite (along with an unknown fatty acid), showing negative $\text{K}$, $\text{C}$, and $\text{P}$ spot test reactions in both the cortex and medulla.

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Ecology & Distribution

• Habitat: Grows primarily on soil and plant debris in arid and semi-arid steppes, serving as a characteristic and dominant component of biological soil crust communities (such as in Iranian Artemisia steppes).

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• Distribution: Originally described from material collected in Golestan National Park, Iran, its range extends into regional steppe habitats and similar arid environments across Eurasia, including regions of Russia (such as the Astrakhan oblast) and parts of Western Asia.