Description
Catillaria typically grows as a thin, crust-like layer (crustose) on various surfaces. The fungal body (thallus) can appear in several forms – it may be barely visible, cracked, warty, or divided into small polygonal areas called areoles . These lichens display various colours including white, grey, green, brown, or black, though some species that grow on other lichens may lack a visible thallus entirely. [4]
Like all lichens, Catillaria represents a symbiotic partnership between a fungus and photosynthetic algae (known as the photobiont ). In this genus, the algal partners are green algae, specifically from genera such as Dictyochloropsis , Myrmecia , or Trebouxia . The fungal portion lacks a protective outer layer ( cortex ) or has only a rudimentary one. [4]
The reproductive structures (apothecia) are black and typically lack a powdery coating ( pruina ). They have a distinctive microscopic structure, including specialised cells called paraphyses that have abruptly swollen tips capped with dark brown pigmentation. The spore-producing cells (asci) typically contain eight spores, though occasionally up to 16, and show a characteristic blue reaction when treated with iodine-based stains. The spores themselves are colourless and divided into two cells by a single wall (septum), without any surrounding gelatinous sheath. [4]
The genus can be distinguished from similar lichens by its combination of asci that turn blue with iodine, paraphyses with dark-capped swollen tips, two-celled spores without a gelatinous coating, and spore-producing cells arranged in chains. While the similar genus Halecania shares many of these features, it differs in having thick-walled spores with a distinct gelatinous coating and is not closely related based on genetic analysis. When analyzed chemically using thin-layer chromatography, these lichens do not show evidence of specialised lichen products. [4]
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