Bilimbia

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Bilimbia
Bilimbia sabuletorum 230627.jpg
Bilimbia sabuletorum in Portugal
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Ramalinaceae
Genus: Bilimbia
De Not. (1846)
Type species
Bilimbia hexamera
De Not. (1846)
Synonyms [1]

Bilimbia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. [2] 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 (fruiting bodies) 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

Before Bilimbia was circumscribed by Giuseppe De Notaris, the name had been used in botany. Reichenbach had attempted to use it for what is now known as the Bilimbi or Cucumber tree ( Averrhoa bilimbi ), but this usage was never validly published under botanical nomenclature rules. [3]

The genus Bilimbia as defined by De Notaris in 1846 included two species, B. hexamera and B. tetramera. [4] It became widely adopted among lichenologists, particularly in the British Isles where it was used consistently from William Mudd's 1861 flora through Duncan's 1959 guidebook. However, its use declined in the early 1900s when Alexander Zahlbruckner transferred the Bilimbia species into his broader concept of the genus Bacidia . [3]

Several related genera were proposed during this period of taxonomic uncertainty. Philipp Maximilian Opiz created Weitenwebera in 1857 specifically to replace BilimbiaDe Not., though this replacement name itself turned out to be a later homonym. MycobilimbiaRehm was established in 1889 as a separate genus, notable for having no nomenclatural connections to De Notaris's original Bilimbia species. Another genus name, Probilimbia, was briefly mentioned by Edvard August Vainio in 1899 but is considered superfluous. [3]

The taxonomy was later clarified when research showed that Reichenbach's use of Bilimbia did not constitute valid publication, meaning De Notaris's use remained valid. By 2001, four main European species were recognised: B. accedens , B. lobulata , B. microcarpa , and B. sabuletorum , with the type species B. hexamera now considered a synonym of B. sabuletorum. [3] Molecular phylogenetic evidence suggests that the genus forms a well-supported monophyletic clade within the Ramalinaceae. [5]

De Notaris did not specify a type species when he created the genus. Bruce Fink designated B. hexamera as the type in 1910. However, he used the now-obsolete American Code, and the new nomenclatural rules allow for his typification to be superseded by any later typification, unless the typification has been reaffirmed in the interim. In 1952, Rolf Santesson set B. hexamera as the type. In 1984, Josef Hafellner redesignated B. tetramera as the type, a decision that was followed by Timdal in 1991. [6] However, B. tetramera is now known as Mycobilimbia tetramera. If B. tetramera is assigned as the type of Bilimbia, then Bilimbia becomes a synonym of, and the correct name for Mycobilimbia, which is taxonomically unfeasible. For this reason, a proposal was published in 2020 to conserve the name Bilimbia with B. hexamera as a conserved type. [7] The proposal was accepted by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi in 2023. [8]

Description

Bilimbia is a genus of crustose (crust-forming) lichens. These organisms form thin, spreading patches that range in colour from whitish grey to grey. Unlike some lichens, they do not produce soredia (powdery reproductive structures) and lack a prothallus (a preliminary growth stage). The main body (thallus) of the lichen contains green algal cells as its photobiont partner. The fungal reproductive structures (ascomata) appear as small, rounded discs (apothecia) that sit directly on the surface. These apothecia are typically convex and lack a distinct rim, though young specimens may have flat tops with a shallow margin. They range in colour from light ochre to dark brown or black, and have an undusted ( epruinose ) appearance. [9]

When viewed under a microscope, the apothecia show several distinct layers. The outer protective layer ( true exciple ) curves backward and contains densely packed, radiating fungal threads (hyphae) held together by a firm gel. This layer often contains dark brown or pinkish-brown pigments that intensify when treated with potassium hydroxide solution (K) and turn purple with nitric acid (N). The spore-producing layer (hymenium) is 50–90 micrometres (μm) tall, occasionally reaching 110 μm, and usually lacks a well-defined top layer. [9]

The reproductive cells (asci) each produce eight spores and have a distinctive structure that shows complex staining patterns when treated with iodine and potassium hydroxide solution. The spores themselves are colourless and elongated, with 0 to 7 (rarely up to 9) cross-walls (septa), and often have a rough outer coating. The genus may contain a secondary metabolite, called zeorin, though many species lack any detectable secondary compounds. Various olive-green and brown pigments occur throughout the fungal tissues, though these remain chemically uncharacterised. [9]

Habitat and distribution

Bilimbia species are typically found growing on calcium-rich soils or on mosses that grow over alkaline surfaces. This preference for basic (non-acidic) environments and their association with moss communities is characteristic of the genus. [9]

Species

As of February 2025, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accept 24 species of Bilimbia: [10]

Mycobilimbia tetramera Mycobilimbia tetramera 559741.jpg
Mycobilimbia tetramera

Related Research Articles

Scutula is a genus of lichenicolous fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramalinaceae</span>

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.

<i>Biatora</i> Genus of lichens in the family Ramalinaceae

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.

<i>Bacidina</i> Genus of lichens

Bacidina is a genus of lichens in the family Ramalinaceae.

<i>Bacidia</i> Genus of lichens

Bacidia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.

<i>Ramalina</i> Genus of lichen-forming fungi

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.

<i>Phaeographis</i> Genus of lichen-forming fungi

Phaeographis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has an estimated 180 species.

<i>Schadonia</i> Genus of lichen-forming fungi

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.

<i>Phyllopsora</i> Genus of lichens

Phyllopsora is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.

<i>Toniniopsis</i> Genus of lichens

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.

<i>Toninia</i> Genus of lichens

Toninia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.

<i>Acarospora</i> Genus of fungi

Acarospora is a genus of mostly lichen-forming fungi in the family Acarosporaceae. Most species in the genus are crustose lichens that grow on rocks in open and arid places all over the world. They may look like a cobblestone road or cracked up old paint, and are commonly called cobblestone lichens or cracked lichens. They usually grow on rock, but some grow on soil (terricolous) or on other lichens. Some species in the genus are fungi that live as parasites on other lichens. Acarospora is a widely distributed genus, with about 128 species according to a 2008 estimate.

<i>Arctocetraria</i> Genus of lichens

Arctocetraria is a genus of fruticose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. It has three species.

<i>Megalaria</i> Genus of lichen-forming fungi

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.

Bibbya is a genus of fruticose lichens in the family Ramalinaceae.

Biatora oxneri is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It is found in the Russian Far East and in South Korea.

<i>Thalloidima</i> Genus of lichens

Thalloidima is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It has 13 species.

<i>Kiliasia</i> Genus of lichens

Kiliasia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It comprises seven species.

Parallopsora is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. Established in 2018, the genus contains three species that were previously classified under a related genus, Phyllopsora. These lichens form small, scale-like growths that overlap like roof tiles and typically appear pale green to bluish-green in colour. They reproduce through both small brown fruiting bodies and sometimes through powdery structures on their surface. The species are known to grow in tropical rainforests, particularly in Brazil, Peru and Cuba.

Eschatogonia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It has seven species. The genus was circumscribed by the Italian lichenologist Vittore Benedetto Antonio Trevisan de Saint-Léon in 1853.

References

  1. ↑ "Synonymy: Bilimbia De Not., G. bot. ital. 2(1.1): 190 (1846)". Species Fungorum . Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  2. ↑ Wijayawardene, Nalin; Hyde, Kevin; Al-Ani, Laith Khalil Tawfeeq; Somayeh, Dolatabadi; Stadler, Marc; Haelewaters, Danny; et al. (2020). "Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa". Mycosphere. 11: 1060–1456. doi: 10.5943/mycosphere/11/1/8 . hdl: 10481/61998 .
  3. 1 2 3 4 Veldkamp, J.F. (2004). "Bilimbia (Lichenes) resurrected". The Lichenologist. 36 (3–4): 191–195. doi:10.1017/S0024282904013908.
  4. ↑ De Notaris, G. (1846). "Frammenti lichenografici di un lavoro inedito" [Lichenographic fragments from an unpublished work]. Giornale Botanico Italiano Ann. 2 (in Italian). 1 (1): 174–224, 299–330.
  5. ↑ Miadlikowska, Jolanta; Kauff, Frank; Högnabba, Filip; Oliver, Jeffrey C.; Molnár, Katalin; Fraker, Emily; et al. (2014). "A multigene phylogenetic synthesis for the class Lecanoromycetes (Ascomycota): 1307 fungi representing 1139 infrageneric taxa, 317 genera and 66 families". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 79: 132–168. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.04.003. PMC   4185256 . PMID   24747130.
  6. ↑ Timdal, Einar (1991). A Monograph of the Genus Toninia (Lecideaceae, Ascomycetes). Opera botanica. Vol. 110. Council for Nordic Publications in Botany. p. 24. ISBN   978-8788702613.
  7. ↑ Arcadia, Linda (2020). "(2722) Proposal to conserve the name Bilimbia (Ramalinaceae, lichenised Ascomycota) with a conserved type". Taxon. 68 (6): 1364–1365. doi: 10.1002/tax.12166 .
  8. ↑ May, Tom W.; Lendemer, James C. (2023). "Report of the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi: 22". Taxon. 72 (6): 1356–1363. doi:10.1002/tax.13099.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Cannon, P.; Ekman, S.; Kistenich, S.; LaGreca, S.; Printzen, C.; Timdal, E.; Aptroot, A.; Coppins, B.; Fletcher, A.; Sanderson, N.; Simkin, J. (2023). Lecanorales: Ramalinaceae [revision 1], including the genera Bacidia, Bacidina, Bellicidia, Biatora, Bibbya, Bilimbia, Cliostomum, Kiliasia, Lecania, Megalaria, Mycobilimbia, Phyllopsora, Ramalina, Scutula, Thalloidima, Toninia, Toniniopsis and Tylothallia (PDF). Revisions of British and Irish Lichens. Vol. 35. p. 30–31. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  10. ↑ "Bilimbia". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  11. ↑ Llop, Esteve (2006). "Bilimbia corcovadensis, a neotropical corticolous species of Bilimbia". The Lichenologist. 38 (3): 279–281. doi:10.1017/S0024282906005664.
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