| Cora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cora pavonia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Hygrophoraceae |
| Genus: | Cora Fr. (1825) |
| Type species | |
| Cora pavonia | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Cora is a large genus of basidiolichens in the family Hygrophoraceae. Modern molecular phylogenetics research has revealed a rich biodiversity in this largely tropical genus.
Cora was originally circumscribed by the Swedish "Father of Mycology", Elias Magnus Fries, in 1825. He included a single species, until then known as Thelephora pavoniaWeber & D.Mohr. [2] Until relatively recently, Cora was thought to contain one species, [3] or was placed into synonymy with Dictyonema . [4] Cora was recognized as an independent genus separate from Dictyonema in 2013. [5] [6]
Molecular phylogenetic analysis using DNA barcoding of the internal transcribed spacer region has improved the understanding of the diversity of Cora. In 2016, a landmark study identified and formally described 70 new species, bringing the total number of recognised Cora species to 189. This represented a dramatic increase from the single species recognized until about a decade prior. The study employed a "turbo-taxonomy" approach, combining international collaboration, rigorous quantitative phylogenetic methods, and standardised protocols for phenotype description to efficiently describe and catalog the new species. [7] Cora species can be distinguished by a combination of morphological, anatomical, and ecogeographical features. This work established Cora as one of the most species-rich lichen genera, with estimates suggesting the existence of almost 200 species, and about 450 species predicted to exist. [6] [8] [7] [9]
Studies using the PhyloKey tool, which employs a technique called morphology-based phylogenetic binning, have help to elucidate the diversity within Cora. Phylogenetic binning involves mapping morphological characters onto a molecular reference tree and calculating weights for their consistency. This approach has confirmed the identification of species with high accuracy even with incomplete character data, revealing numerous previously unrecognized species. PhyloKey has also facilitated the restudy of herbarium samples, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the genus's diversity and aiding in the discovery of new species. [10]
Mexico and (at least formerly) Florida are the northernmost distribution points for the genus Cora, while its southernmost locale is southern Chile. [9] It has its highest biodiversity in the northern Andes. [9] Biogeographic data suggests that Cora originated in South America and expanded eastward. [11] The vast majority (95%) of the known species are found in the Americas, but the genus has also been recorded from tropical Africa, tropical Asia, and South Atlantic islands. Twelve species and subspecies have been described from Mexico; [12] the only species known to have occurred north of Mexico is the possibly extinct Cora timucua , which is known to have formerly existed in Florida. [13]
As of May 2024 [update] , Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts 98 species in genus Cora. [14]
Acantholichen is a fungal genus in the family Hygrophoraceae. The genus was circumscribed by Norwegian lichenologist Per Magnus Jørgensen to contain the type, and at that time, only species, the basidiolichen Acantholichen pannarioides, discovered originally in Costa Rica in 1998. This species has a bluish, gelatinous thallus, and a fine, white powdery bloom covering the hairy upper surface; this surface is said to resemble "an unshaven chin". Five additional species, all basidiolichens, were added to the genus in 2016 following an in-depth analysis of specimens collected from the Galápagos, Costa Rica, Brazil and Colombia.
Dictyonema is a genus of mainly tropical basidiolichens in the family Hygrophoraceae.
Dictyonema hernandezii is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in montane rainforests of Costa Rica and in Colombia, it was described as new to science in 2011. The specific epithet hernandezii honours Venezuelan lichenologist Jesús Hernández.
Cora hirsuta is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in the páramo region near Bogotá at over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) elevation, it was described as new to science in 2011. The lichen, characterised by its distinctively hairy upper surface and smaller lobes, thrives in a variety of habitats, including soil, bryophytes, and as epiphytes on trees.
Cora davidia is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Bibiana Moncada, Leidy Vargas-Mendoza, and Robert Lücking. The specific epithet davidia honours mycologist David Leslie Hawksworth, "in recognition of his nomenclatural work on Dictyonema." The lichen occurs above elevations of 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in the northern Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, where it grows as an epiphyte on the twigs of small trees and shrubs in somewhat shaded locales.
Cora hymenocarpa is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Costa Rica, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking, José Luis Chaves, and James D. Lawrey. The specific epithet hymenocarpa refers to the "strongly flattened, emarginate hymenophore". Cora hymenocarpa grows in the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica as an epiphyte on the somewhat shaded branches and twigs of shrubs and trees. The Colombian species Cora hafecesweorthensis is similar in appearance but is not closely related phylogenetically.
Cora minutula is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Ecuador, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking, Bibiana Moncada, and Alba Yánez-Ayabaca. The specific epithet minutula refers to the small size of the thallus—measuring up to 2 cm (0.8 in) across. The lichen is known only from the type locality, in the páramo of La Virgen (Papallacta, Napo. Here, in the northern Andes at elevations above 3,000 m, it grows as an epiphyte on páramo shrubs.
Cora santacruzensis is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in the Galapagos, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Manuela Dal Forno, Frank Bungartz, and Alba Yánez-Ayabaca. The specific epithet santacruzensis refers to Santa Cruz Island, the type locality where the lichen was first documented scientifically. Here it was found at an abandoned farm behind El Puntudo, where it was growing on a shaded branch of an avocado tree. A paratype specimen was collected from a Cinchona tree. The lichen is one of two presumably endemic Cora species found on the Galapagos; the other is Cora glabrata.
Cora terrestris is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Costa Rica, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Manuela Dal Forno, José Luis Chaves, and Robert Lücking. The specific epithet terrestris refers to its terrestrial growth. The lichen occurs in the Cordillera de Talamanca of Costa Rica, where it grows on the ground in páramo bogs and in montane forests. Similar species include Cora celestinoa (Colombia), C. casasolana (Mexico), C. caliginosa (Peru), and C. pichinchensis (Ecuador).
Cora arachnoidea is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Venezuela, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by Jesús Hernández and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected in the surroundings of Laguna de Mucubají, at an altitude of 3,626 m (11,896 ft). The specific epithet makes reference to the arachnoid (cobwebby) texture of the thallus surface. Another member of the genus with a similar surface is Cora hirsuta.
Cora aspera is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Central and South America, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by Karina Wilk, Robert Lücking, and Eduardo Morales. The type specimen was collected in the Siberia region near La Palma at an altitude of 2,582 m (8,471 ft). Here, in a Yungas cloud forest, it grows as an epiphyte on bark. The specific epithet alludes to the roughened texture of the thallus surface, especially under dry conditions. The lichen has been recorded from Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru, and it grows on twigs and branches in montane rainforest and páramo vegetation.
Cora byssoidea is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Colombia, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by lichenologists Robert Lücking and Bibiana Moncada. The type specimen was collected in Páramo El Verjón at an altitude of 3,200 m (10,500 ft). Here it was found growing as an epiphyte on twigs and small branches of páramo vegetation. The lichen is only known from the type locality. The specific epithet byssoidea refers to the byssoid surface of the upper thallus. This surface comprises an irregularly dissolved layer of single hyphae in the cortex. A lookalike species, Cora hirsuta, also found at the same location, has a similar surface texture. In this lichen the surface is made of erect trichomes of agglutinated hyphae; despite their similarities, the two species are not closely related.
Cora cyphellifera is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in northern Ecuador, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by Manuela Dal-Forno, Frank Bungartz, and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected near the entrance to the Alto Choco Reserve at an elevation of 2,053 m (6,736 ft). Here, in open, disturbed forest patches, the lichen grows as an epiphyte on tree branches and twigs, forming foliose, light bluish-green thalli up to 15 cm (6 in) across, and comprising 20 to 30 semicircular lobes in each thallus. Cora cyphellifera is only known to occur at the type locality, which is a montane rainforest. The specific epithet refers to the unusual cyphelloid structure of the thallus; this characteristic is otherwise unknown in the genus Cora. According to the authors, "it almost looks like the lichenized thallus is parasitized by a non-lichenized, cyphelloid mushroom".
Cora inversa is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Colombia, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by lichenologists Robert Lücking and Bibiana Moncada. The type specimen was collected in the Páramo El Verjón at an altitude of 3,200 m (10,500 ft). Here the lichen grows as an epiphyte, typically at the base of páramo shrubs, and often between bryophytes. The specific epithet refers to the partially strigose underside, presenting in an inverse fashion compared to Cora hirsuta, which is strigose on the upper side.
Cora squamiformis is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in the high Andes of South America, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by Karina Wilk, Robert Lücking, and Alba Yánez-Ayabaca. The type specimen was collected in Madidi National Park at an altitude of 4,677 m (15,344 ft). The lichen occurs in Bolivia and Ecuador, where it grows on the ground between bryophytes amongst high-mountain vegetation. It forms olive-grey to grey thalli up to 3 cm (1.2 in) across, each typically comprising 3 to 5 semicircular lobes. The specific epithet squamiformis refers to the squamulose (scaley) appearance of the thallus. A close relative, Cora pavonia, occurs in the same habitat in Ecuador; it has much larger thalli and a different lobe configuration than C. squamiformis.
Cora strigosa is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Peru, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by Robert Lücking, Elias Paz, and Luis Salcedo. The type specimen was collected in Piscacucho at an altitude of about 2,700 m (8,900 ft). Here, in montane rainforest and pasture near Machu Picchu, the lichen grows on rocks together with other lichens, such as Hypotrachyna and Rimelia. Cora strigosa is only known to occur at the type locality. The specific epithet strigosa refers to the strigose upper surface of the thallus, especially prominent where they project radially at the margins. This lichen resembles Cora hirsuta, but it is not closely related.
Acantholichen sorediatus is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Costa Rica, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Manuela Dal-Forno, Harrie Sipman, and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected from the Las Cruces Biological Station at an altitude of 1,200 m (3,900 ft); this area is part of the Cordillera Central. Here, in the undergrowth of a disturbed primary forest, it was found growing on a tree trunk along with other lichens, including Hypotrachyna, Normandina, and Leptogium. The specific epithet refers to the soredia, found along the margins of the squamules.
Acantholichen pannarioides is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae, and the type species of genus Acantholichen. The lichen has a bluish-tinged, gelatinous thallus with a surface texture that has a powdery to hairy texture. It is found in montane regions of Central America and northern South America, where it grows on forest litter, bark, on bryophytes, and on other lichens.
Dictyonema aeruginosulum is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Characteristics of the lichen include its distinctive finger-like projections and blue-green hue. It is distinguishable from its closest relatives by its unique morphology and the absence of clamp connections in its structure. Dictyonema aeruginosulum is an epiphyte, forming thick mats on tree trunks within rainforest regions. The species was first identified in Costa Rica's Tenorio Volcano National Park, and it has only been recorded from this location.
Dictyonema metallicum is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is found in the montane rainforests of Ecuador. Characterised by its metallic shimmer, it is an epiphytic lichen that spans large areas on host tree trunks and frequently extends to adjacent bryophytes. Its unique visual texture is created by the loosely interwoven dark blue fibrils of the thallus, a thin, compressed filamentous layer, accentuated by a silver prothallus.