Aulaxinella | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
Order: | Graphidales |
Family: | Gomphillaceae |
Genus: | Aulaxinella Xavier-Leite, M.Cáceres & Lücking (2023) |
Type species | |
Aulaxinella minuta (R.Sant.) Xavier-Leite, M.Cáceres & Lücking (2023) | |
Species | |
Aulaxinella is a genus of fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. [1] [2] It comprises three species that primarily grow on living leaves (foliicolous), though rarely some species can be found on tree bark (corticolous).
The genus was established in 2023 by Amanda Xavier-Leite, Marcela Cáceres, and Robert Lücking after molecular studies showed that the type species, A. minuta, was distinct from the related genus Aulaxina . The name Aulaxinella refers to its similarity to Aulaxina, with the diminutive ending indicating its generally smaller size. [3]
Aulaxinella lichens form a continuous layer (thallus) on their substrate , with a distinctive dark brown border ( prothallus ) around the edges. Their reproductive structures (apothecia) appear crater-like, emerging from the surface with a prominent dark rim that lacks algal cells. The central part of these structures is brownish in colour. [3]
A distinctive feature of the genus is its specialised reproductive structures called hyphophores , which appear in groups on patches of the lichen that lack algal cells. These structures are black and bristle-like with blunt tips. They produce unique branching threads ( diahyphae ) that emerge from their tips in 3–5 separate bunches, forming chains of small, sometimes divided segments. [3]
The Gomphillaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Graphidales. Species in this family are found mostly in tropical regions. The family underwent a major molecular phylogenetics-led reorganisation in 2023, in which 17 genera were recognised and formally established as new or reinstated.
Mazosia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellaceae.
Calenia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi within the family Gomphillaceae.
André Aptroot is a Dutch mycologist and lichenologist. His primary research focus is on biodiversity, particularly tropical lichens, encompassing systematics, floristic surveys, and taxonomic reviews. A prolific researcher, he has published more than 500 scientific papers and described hundreds of new fungal and lichen species.
Taitaia is a single-species fungal genus in the family Gomphillaceae. It was circumscribed in 2018 to contain the species Taitaia aurea, a lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungus. This species is characterized by aggregated ascomata with yellow margins, and salmon-red discs that originate from a single base. It is known only from a few sites in Kenya's tropical lower-mountain forests, where it grows on thalli of the lichen Crocodia.
Serusiauxiella is a genus of leaf-dwelling lichens in the family Strigulaceae. It has three species, all of which are found in wet tropical forests in China. The genus was circumscribed in 2020 by Shu-Hua Jiang, Robert Lücking, and Jiang-Chu Wei, with Serusiauxiella filifera assigned as the type species. The genus name honours Belgian lichenologist Emmanuël Sérusiaux, "in recognition of his important contributions to lichenology, foliicolous lichens and the genus Strigula".
Graphidales is an order of lichen-forming fungi in the class Lecanoromycetes. It contains 6 families, about 81 genera and about 2,228 species. Family Graphidaceae are the largest crustose family within Graphidales order comprising more than 2000 species, which are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
Clandestinotrema is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has 18 species. They typically inhabit montane and cloud forest at higher elevations in the tropics.
Gyalideopsis aptrootii is a species of corticolous lichen in the family Gomphillaceae. Found in southern Brazil, it was described as a new species in 2018. Defining features of this lichen include the unique crescent-shaped structure of its hyphophores, the single-spored asci, and the relatively small size of the ascospores.
Mangoldia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the subfamily Graphidoideae of the family Graphidaceae. It contains four species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) script lichens.
Adelphomyces is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It comprises three species.
Aptrootidea is a genus of fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It has six species of leaf-dwelling (foliicolous) lichens.
Batistomyces is a small genus of fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It has two species of leaf-dwelling (foliicolous) lichens. These microlichens form very thin layers on the surface of leaves, appearing to the naked eye as small, fuzzy dark patches due to their numerous short black bristles.
Bezerroplaca is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It has five species of tropical lichens that grow on living leaves.
Vezdamyces is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It comprises two species of leaf-dwelling lichens that grow in tropical forests.
Verruciplaca is a small genus of fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It comprises two species of leaf-dwelling lichens.
Spinomyces is a genus of fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It has six species of leaf-dwelling lichens.
Sipmanidea is a small genus of fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It comprises two species of leaf-dwelling lichens.
Roselviria is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It has two species of leaf-dwelling lichens.
Caleniella is a small genus of fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. It comprises two species of leaf-dwelling lichens.