Charcotiana

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Charcotiana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Teloschistales
Family: Teloschistaceae
Genus: Charcotiana
Søchting, Garrido-Ben. & Arup (2014)
Species:
C. antarctica
Binomial name
Charcotiana antarctica
Søchting, Garrido-Ben., Pérez-Ort., Seppelt & Castello (2014)

Charcotiana is a single-species genus in the family Teloschistaceae. [1] [2] It contains the species Charcotiana antarctica, a crustose lichen found in Antarctica.

Contents

Taxonomy

Both the genus Charcotiana and its sole species Charcotiana antarctica were described in 2014 in a study conducted by a team of lichenologists. The name of the genus is a tribute to the renowned French polar explorer and scientist, Jean-Baptiste Charcot (1867–1936). The species was named to reflect its distribution, which is limited to continental Antarctica and nearby islands. The type specimen was collected from Cape Phillips, Daniell Peninsula, Northern Victoria Land, where it was found growing on volcanic rock. Charcotiana is in the subfamily Xanthorioideae of the family Teloschistaceae. [3]

Description

The thallus of Charcotiana antarctica is crustose, orange, and varies from bullate to areolate with minutely lobate margins. It is often distinctly stipitate, especially when fertile. The apothecia are crowded, frequently stipitate, and irregular, with an excluded margin. The species is characterized by polardiblastic spores measuring approximately 12.0 by 6.5  μm with a septum of about 3.5 μm. [3]

The areoles of the lichen are small, initially isolated and bullate, eventually coalescing into larger, irregular-shaped areoles with minutely lobate margins. The thallus colour ranges from pale to deep orange. The apothecia are lecanorine to mostly zeorine , with one per areole, numerous, and rather crowded. The discs are deep orange to dark orange-brown in mature apothecia. Both the thallus and apothecia have a K+ (purple) chemical spot test reaction. Charcotiana antarctica contain lichen products in the so-called chemosyndrome A, [3] previously identified by Søchting, [4] indicating the presence of parietin as the major substance, and smaller proportions of emodin, fallacinal, parietinic acid, and teloschistin. [3]

Habitat, distribution, and ecology

Charcotiana antarctica grows in a variety of microhabitats, including large stones, scoria debris, pebbles, rubble, gravel, silt, vulcanites, charnockite, and coarse-grained granite. It is commonly found in small rock crevices, where it can retain a more humid environment. The species is known from coastal sites and high mountain ranges in Antarctica, typically found at altitudes ranging from 215 to 652 m (705 to 2,139 ft) above sea level. It is considered a common but often overlooked species in continental Antarctica. [3]

Charcotiana antarctica demonstrates adaptability to its environment, growing on acidic rocks, sand, and dead mosses. Specimens growing on sandy soil and mosses develop a continuous, granular thallus, with areoles that can be somewhat more greenish yellow when in the shade. Charcotiana antarctica is commonly found in the company of several other species, including the lichens Buellia frigida , Lecanora mons-nivis , Lecanora physciella , Lecidea cancriformis , Pleopsidium chlorophanum , Umbilicaria decussata , and Rusavskia elegans . Additionally, it is often observed in association with the moss Syntrichia sarconeurum . [3]

Related Research Articles

Amundsenia is a genus of saxicolous lichens in the family Teloschistaceae. It has two species. The genus was circumscribed in 2014 by Isaac Garrido-Benavent, Ulrik Søchting, Sergio Pérez-Ortega, and Rod Seppelt, with Amundsenia austrocontinentalis assigned as the type species. The type is known only from continental Antarctica, while Amundsenia approximata only occurs in the Arctic.

Austroplaca is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has 10 species. The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by Ulrik Søchting, Patrik Frödén, and Ulf Arup, with Austroplaca ambitiosa assigned as the type species.

<i>Xanthocarpia</i> Genus of lichen

Xanthocarpia is a genus of mostly crustose lichens in the family Teloschistaceae. It has 12 species with a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution.

<i>Igneoplaca</i> Lichen genus

Igneoplaca is a genus in the subfamily Xanthorioideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It contains a single species, the crustose lichen Igneoplaca ignea.

Variospora aegaea is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. First identified from Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, and has since been recorded in Italy and Spain.

Amundsenia austrocontinentalis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae, and the type species of genus Amundsenia. Found in Antarctica, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by Isaac Garrido-Benavent, Ulrik Søchting, Sergio Pérez-Ortega, and Rod Seppelt. The type specimen was collected by the last author from Mule Peninsula, where it was found growing on small stones in glacial till. The species epithet austrocontinentalis refers to its distribution in continental Antarctica.

Catenarina is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae consisting of three species. These crustose lichens are characterized by their reddish-brown pigmentation and the presence of the secondary compound 7-chlorocatenarin. The genus is found in the southernmost regions of the Southern Hemisphere, including Antarctica, southern Patagonia, and the Kerguelen Islands.

Catenarina desolata is a species of lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It was formally described as a new species in 2014 by lichenologists Ulrik Søchting, Majbrit Søgaard, and Arve Elvebakk. It is predominantly found in the southernmost parts of Chile, with some instances in Antarctica and the Kerguelen Islands. Characterised by its dark reddish-brown to almost purple apothecia, this species of lichen was originally thought to be lichenicolous, meaning it grows on other lichens, particularly Aspicilia species. The later discovery non-lichen-dwelling examples from James Ross Island in the Antarctic Peninsula suggests that it is not exclusively lichenicolous. Its distinctive secondary compound, 7-chlorocatenarin, sets it apart from other lichens in the region.

Catenarina vivasiana is a species of crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in the southernmost regions of South America, predominantly in Chile. Characterised by its dark reddish-brown thallus and unique chemistry, this lichen is named in honour of Spanish lichenologist Mercedes Vivas. It was formally described as a new species in 2014.

<i>Stellarangia</i> Genus of lichens

Stellarangia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens. Species of Stellarangia are found in dry, desert areas in Namibia and South Africa.

<i>Variospora flavescens</i> Species of lichen

Variospora flavescens is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is a common, widely distributed species and has been recorded in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Macaronesia.

Tassiloa is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has two species.

<i>Lacrima</i> (fungus) Genus of lichen-forming fungi

Lacrima is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has four saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose species.

Teuvoahtiana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens, all of which occur in South America.

Caloplaca nigra is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found on rocks predominantly in the Galápagos Islands, it is characterised by its dark reproductive structures.

Solitaria is a fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains a single species, the corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen Solitaria chrysophthalma.

<i>Erichansenia</i> Genus of lichens

Erichansenia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens.

Usnochroma is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has two species of crustose lichens. The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by lichenologists Ulrik Søchting, Ulf Arup, and Patrik Frödén, with Usnochroma carphineum assigned as the type species. The genus name refers to the yellowish-green colour of the thallus, which is caused by the substance usnic acid. Usnochroma species occur in Macaronesia, South Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, and Algeria.

<i>Flavoplaca arcis</i> Species of lichen

Flavoplaca arcis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose to squamulose (scaley) lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Although widely distributed in Northern, Central, and Western Europe, it is not commmonly encountered.

Upretia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens. Upretia is characterised by its small ascospores and narrow, rod-shaped conidia. The distribution of the genus ranges from mid-altitude rocky terrains in India to both arid and higher altitudinal environments in China.

References

  1. ↑ Wijayawardene, N.N.; Hyde, K.D.; Dai, D.Q.; Sánchez-García, M.; Goto, B.T.; Saxena, R.K.; et al. (2022). "Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa – 2021". Mycosphere. 13 (1): 53–453 [156]. doi: 10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2 .
  2. ↑ "Charcotiana". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Søchting, Ulrik; Garrido-Benavent, Isaac; Seppelt, Rod; Castello, Miris; Pérez-Ortega, Sergio; De Los Ríos Murillo, Asunción; Sancho, Leopoldo Garcia; Frödén, Patrik; Arup, Ulf (2014). "Charcotiana and Amundsenia, two new genera in Teloschistaceae (lichenized Ascomycota, subfamily Xanthorioideae) hosting two new species from continental Antarctica, and Austroplaca frigida, a new name for a continental Antarctic species". The Lichenologist. 46 (6): 763–782. doi:10.1017/S0024282914000395.
  4. ↑ Søchting, Ulrik (1997). "Two major anthraquinone chemosyndromes in Teloschistaceae". Bibliotheca Lichenologica. 68: 135–144.
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