Swinscowia bispora
# Swinscowia bispora

Swinscowia bispora is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Strigulaceae. Found in Korea, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Kwang-Hee Moon as a member of genus Strigula. The type specimen was collected from Mount Juwang (North Gyeongsang Province) at an altitude between 320 and 380 m (1,050 and 1,250 ft); there, it was found growing on the bark on an oak tree. The taxon was transferred to the genus Swinscowia in 2020 following a molecular phylogenetics-led reorganisation of families and genera in the order Dothideomycetes. The species epithet bispora rfers to the fact that each ascus contain two ascospores. The ellipsoid-shaped spores measure 117–135 by 38–48 μm; they are densely muriform, meaning they are divided into multiple chambers by both transverse and longitudinal septa.

