| Bacidina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bacidina californica, magnified 30X | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Ramalinaceae |
| Genus: | Bacidina Vězda (1991) |
| Type species | |
| Bacidina phacodes (Körb.) Vězda (1991) | |
Bacidina is a genus of lichens in the family Ramalinaceae. [1]
The genus was circumscribed by Czech lichenologist Antonín Vězda in 1990, with Bacidina phacodes assigned as the type species. Vězda included 11 species in Bacidina, which was originally classified in the Lecideaceae. These species had previously been placed in genus Bacidia . [2]
Bacidina species are crustose lichens, forming thin, often inconspicuous thalli that may be smooth, cracked, warted, or granular . Some species develop specialised reproductive structures such as soredia, isidia, or microsquamules. The thallus is typically pale in colouration, ranging from whitish and pale green to greyish or fawn. The photosynthetic partner ( photobiont ) consists of chlorococcoid algae, which have roughly spherical ( globose ) to broadly ellipsoidal cells. [3]
The reproductive structures, or apothecia, are relatively small, usually up to 1 mm in diameter, and can be flat or strongly convex. They lack a distinct thalline margin but have a well-developed true exciple , which is composed largely of thick-walled cells with isodiametric to ellipsoidal lumina . This distinguishes Bacidina from Bacidia , which has a true exciple made of radiating hyphal tissue with narrow lumina. The hymenium, a spore-producing layer, reacts with iodine (I+) to stain blue. The underlying hypothecium varies in colouration from colourless to pigmented. The paraphyses within the hymenium are generally few in number, sometimes branched, and often have swollen tips. [3]
The asci, which produce the ascospores , are club-shaped ( clavate ) to cylindrical-clavate in shape and typically contain eight spores. Most Bacidina species have asci of the Bacidia type, characterised by an apical dome that stains dark blue in K/I with a pale, conical apical cushion. In some species, the ascus resembles the Biatora type, which has a darker-staining zone around the apical cushion. The ascospores are colourless, generally three- or more-septate at maturity, and often filiform (thread-like), acicular (needle-shaped), or sigmoid (curved like an "S"), though some species have spores that are cylindrical to fusiform. A distinct outer spore coating ( perispore ) is absent. [3]
Asexual reproduction occurs through conidia, which are produced in small, often immersed or sessile pycnidia. The conidia are colourless and vary in shape, with some species producing septate conidia. Bacidina species do not contain secondary metabolites that react with common chemical spot tests (C–, K–, KC–, Pd–, I–, UV–), but their apothecia and pycnidia may contain a variety of pigments. [3]
The Pilocarpaceae are a family of crustose lichens in the order Lecanorales. The species of this family have a cosmopolitan distribution and have been found in a variety of climatic regions. Pilocarpaceae was circumscribed by Alexander Zahlbruckner in Adolf Engler's influential 1905 work Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien.
The Ramalinaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecanorales. First proposed by Carl Adolph Agardh in 1821, the family now comprises 63 genera and about 750 species. Ramalinaceae lichens exhibit diverse growth forms, including crustose, fruticose, squamulose, leprose, and byssoid thalli, and form symbiotic relationships primarily with green algae of the genus Trebouxia. The family is characterised by pale-coloured thalli, apothecia that are typically pale but may darken with age, and ascospores that vary in shape and septation.
Biatora is a genus of lichens in the family Ramalinaceae. Originally circumscribed in 1817, the genus consists of crustose and squamulose lichens with green algal photobionts, biatorine apothecia, colorless, simple to 3-septate ascospores, and bacilliform pycnospores.
Bacidia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.
Ramalina is a genus of greenish fruticose lichens that grow in the form of flattened, strap-like branches. Members of the genus are commonly called strap lichens or cartilage lichens. Apothecia are lecanorine.
Schadonia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi. Established by German lichenologist Gustav Wilhelm Körber in 1859, this genus of crustose lichens is characterised by its black, sessile apothecia, muriform ascospores, and growth on mosses, plant debris, and rocks in montane habitats. While traditionally placed in the family Ramalinaceae, recent studies have suggested its classification may be uncertain within the order Lecanorales, with some researchers proposing its placement in the Pilocarpaceae or the resurrection of the family Schadoniaceae. The genus currently comprises four recognised species.
Phyllopsora is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.
Toniniopsis is a genus of crustose and squamulose lichens in the family Ramalinaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Swiss lichenologist Eduard Frey in 1926, with Toniniopsis obscura designated the type and only species. The genus name of Toniniopsis is in honour of Carlo Tonini (1803–1877), who was an Italian chemist and botanist (Lichenology), who worked in Verona and was a member and President of the Academy of Agriculture. As a result of molecular phylogenetic studies, several species, formerly classified in genus Bacidia, have been transferred to Toniniopsis.
Toninia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.
Byssoloma is a genus of leaf-dwelling lichens in the family Pilocarpaceae.
Badimia is a genus of foliicolous (leaf-inhabiting) lichens in the family Ramalinaceae.
Micarea is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pilocarpaceae. The widely distributed genus contains 142 species and new species are described actively. Species in the genus are crustose lichens and their photobiont is a single-celled green alga.
Gyalideopsis is a genus of lichens in the family Gomphillaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Czech lichenologist Antonín Vězda in 1972.
Megalaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It contains 44 species of crustose lichens, the majority of which grow on bark.
Bilimbia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. The genus forms crustose (crust-like) lichens that appear as whitish-grey to grey patches on calcium-rich soils or mosses growing over alkaline surfaces. The genus is distinguished by its sessile apothecia that range from light ochre to black, eight-spored asci, and colourless spores with multiple cross-walls. Molecular phylogenetics studies have confirmed that Bilimbia forms a well-supported monophyletic group within the Ramalinaceae, and as of 2025, it contains 24 accepted species.
Bibbya is a genus of fruticose lichens in the family Ramalinaceae.
Bacidina pycnidiata is a species of crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It is widely distributed in Europe and North Asia. It is characterised by its whitish or cream-coloured pycnidia with long and ostiolar necks.
Kiliasia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It comprises seven species.
Bellicidia is a fungal genus in the family Ramalinaceae. It comprises the single species Bellicidia incompta, a widely distributed corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen.
