Lecaimmeria

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Lecaimmeria
Lecaimmeria orbicularis.png
Thallus surface of Lecaimmeria orbicularis;
scale bar = 1 mm
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecideales
Family: Lecideaceae
Genus: Lecaimmeria
C.M.Xie, Lu L.Zhang & Li S.Wang (2022)
Type species
Lecaimmeria orbicularis
C.M.Xie & Lu L.Zhang (2022)
Species

See text

Lecaimmeria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. [1] Established in 2022, it comprises 13 species of lichens that grow on rock surfaces (saxicolous) and form a thin, crust-like covering (crustose) on their substrate. These lichens are characterised by their glossy, orange to red-brown outer layer (thallus) and sunken fruiting bodies (apothecia) with red-brown centres. Lecaimmeria species are typically found in harsh environments at high altitudes or latitudes, particularly in mountainous regions of western China and across parts of Eurasia. The genus was created to accommodate species previously classified under Immersaria that shared certain distinct features, following molecular analysis that revealed they formed a separate group.

Contents

Taxonomy

Lecaimmeria was circumscribed as a new genus in 2024 by Cong-Miao Xie, Lu-Lu Zhang, and Li-Song Wang to accommodate species previously placed in Immersaria that have lecanorine apothecia. The type species is Lecaimmeria orbicularis . Phylogenetic analyses showed that species of Immersaria with lecanorine apothecia formed a distinct clade separate from those with lecideine apothecia. This lecanorine clade was found to be more closely related to other lecanorine genera like Bellemerea and Koerberiella than to the lecideine Immersaria species. Based on these results, the new genus Lecaimmeria was established to contain the lecanorine species. [2]

Lecaimmeria can be distinguished from related genera by its glossy, orange to red-brown thallus with an amyloid medulla, immersed lecanorine apothecia with red-brown discs , orange epihymenium with an epinecral layer, and Porpidia -type asci with halonate , non-amyloid ascospores. The genus name combines Leca- (referring to the lecanorine apothecia) with -immeria (from Immersaria, the genus from which these species were segregated). [2]

Description

Lecaimmeria lichens form a crustose thallus, meaning they grow as a thin crust tightly attached to their substrate . The thallus colour ranges from red-brown to orange-brown or dark brown, and has a waxy, glossy appearance. The thallus is composed of small, irregular or somewhat rectangular sections called areoles , which may be continuous or separated. The edges of these areoles are often white or sometimes black, and may have a powdery ( pruinose ) appearance. [2]

The upper surface of the thallus has several distinct layers. The topmost layer, called the upper cortex , contains orange pigment granules. Beneath this is a clear layer known as the epinecral layer , followed by an algal layer containing the photobiont cells (the algal partner in the lichen symbiosis). The central part of the thallus, called the medulla, is filled with greyish granules. There is no lower cortex. [2]

The apothecia (fruiting bodies) are of the lecanorine type, meaning they have a rim (or margin) that contains algal cells and is the same colour as the thallus. These apothecia are sunken into the thallus (described as immersed ) and can be round or irregular in shape. The central part of the apothecium (the disc ) is red-brown, dark red-brown, or dark orange-brown and can be flat or slightly concave. [2]

The apothecia contain asci, which are microscopic sac-like structures that produce spores. In Lecaimmeria, these asci are of the Porpidia -type and typically contain eight spores each. The spores are ellipsoid in shape and have a transparent envelope around them (described as " halonate "). Lecaimmeria may also have structures called pycnidia, which produce another type of reproductive cell called conidia. These pycnidia, when present, are usually sunken into the thallus and appear as small, black, linear or star-shaped spots. [2]

When tested with chemical spot tests commonly used in lichen identification, the thallus shows no colour change with K or C. However, the medulla turns blue when iodine is applied (I+). Some species contain lichen substances such as gyrophoric acid or 4-O-demethylplanaic acid, while others have no detectable substances. [2]

Habitat and distribution

Lecaimmeria lichens are saxicolous organisms, primarily growing on rock surfaces. They show a strong preference for siliceous substrates, particularly granite and sandstone, though one species, L. tuberculosa, has been found growing on Qilian jade. [2]

These lichens grow in harsh, exposed environments characterised by high altitude or latitude. They are commonly found in alpine zones, typically at elevations ranging from 3,100 to 4,800 metres above sea level in the mountainous regions of western China, including areas such as the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In these extreme habitats, Lecaimmeria species must withstand intense ultraviolet radiation, extreme temperature fluctuations, and low moisture availability. Some species also occur in high-altitude desert-steppe areas, which represent transitional zones between alpine and arid environments where vegetation is sparse and rocky outcrops are common. In northern regions like Inner Mongolia, Lecaimmeria can be found in high-latitude steppes at lower elevations, typically between 1,200 and 1,900 metres. These areas are characterised by cold, dry climates and open grasslands interspersed with rock formations. [2]

The known distribution of Lecaimmeria is primarily centred in Asia, with most species described from China, particularly from the provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia. However, the genus is not limited to this region. Some species have been reported from other parts of Eurasia, including various European countries, Iran, Macedonia, Mongolia, Romania, and Russia. This distribution pattern suggests that Lecaimmeria may be more widespread in similar habitats across the Palearctic realm. [2]

Species

As of August 2024, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life), accept 11 species of Lecaimmeria, [1] but this total does not include two new species described from Pakistan, and added to the genus in 2024.

Related Research Articles

<i>Psora</i> Genus of lichens

Psora is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Psoraceae. Members of the genus are commonly called fishscale lichens. Lichens in the genus Psora generally have a squamulose thallus and anthraquinones in the hymenium. Photobiont partners of Psora lichens include members of the green algal genera Asterochloris, Chloroidium, Myrmecia, and Trebouxia.

<i>Phaeophyscia</i> Genus of lichens

Phaeophyscia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Physciaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecideaceae</span> Family of lichen-forming fungi

The Lecideaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecideales. It contains about 30 genera and roughly 250 species. A major distinguishing characteristic of the family is the lecanoroid form of the fruiting bodies: typically circular, dark, and without a thalline margin. Most species in the family are lichenised with green algae, although a few species, scattered amongst several genera, are lichenicolous—they live on other lichens. Lecideaceae lichens tend to grow on rocks, wood, and soil. Several Lecideaceae species accelerate the weathering of rock surfaces, a process known as pedogenesis, by extending their hyphae into cracks and expelling rock flakes. This contributes to significantly faster weathering rates in certain environments, impacts various materials from natural rocks to man-made Sekishu roof tiles, and involves key biomolecules identified for survival and biodeterioration, including compounds to withstand intense ultraviolet radiation.

<i>Immersaria</i> Genus of lichen

Immersaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. It has eight species of crustose lichens.

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

Porpidia is a genus of crustose lichens in the family Lecideaceae. Porpidia species primarily inhabit siliceous rocks, pebbles, and stonework, with rare occurrences on bark, wood, and compacted soil. The thallus, or body of the lichen, varies in appearance from thick and crusty to barely visible. It may form a continuous layer or develop cracks resulting in a segmented, areolate structure. The colour of the thallus ranges from grey and white to orange.

<i>Anzia</i> Genus of fungi

Anzia is a genus of foliose lichens known as black-foam lichens in the large family Parmeliaceae. It was formerly included in the monogeneric family Anziaceae, but this has since been subsumed into the Parmeliaceae.

Teuvoa is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Megasporaceae. It was first classified by lichenologists Mohammad Sohrabi and Steven Leavitt in 2013, with Teuvoa uxoris assigned as the type species. This genus was delineated from the larger genus, Aspicilia, following a molecular phylogenetic analysis which revealed that the Aspicilia uxoris species group constituted a distinct lineage in the Megasporaceae. Initially containing three species, two additional species native to China were added in 2018. Teuvoa is characterised by its small ascospores and conidia, and the absence of secondary metabolites.

<i>Lecidea tessellata</i> Species of lichen

Lecidea tessellata is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. It was formally described as a species in 1819 by German botanist Heinrich Flörke. In northern North America, it is common and widely distributed, growing on non-calcareous rocks. It also occurs in Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Europe, and Russian Asia. In India, it has been recorded only from the alpine Western Himalayas at an altitude of 3,450 m (11,320 ft). Its southern distribution extends to James Ross Island, where it is locally common.

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.

Hanstrassia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has two species. Hanstrassia is characterised by a predominantly areolate and sorediate thallus, distinguishing it from its close relative Elenkiniana.

Caloplaca astonii is a rare species of crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Described in 2007, is known for its distinct appearance and very limited distribution in Australia. The lichen has a thin thallus measuring 3–8 mm wide, with confluent spots that are thicker and cracked in the centre, showing a dull rose-orange or dull brown-orange colour, and lecanorine apothecia that transition from being immersed in the thallus to raised above it, revealing a bright reddish-brown disc.

Placolecis kunmingensis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Catillariaceae. It is found in Yunnan, China. The lichen is characterised by a thallus that is areolate to squamulose in its centre, forming irregular patches or clumps 10–50 mm wide, as well as its ellipsoid or spherical ascospores with slightly thickened wall.

Placolecis sublaevis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Catillariaceae. It is found in Yunnan and Sichuan, China. The crust-like, radiating body of the lichen forms irregular patches or clumps and includes numerous false conidiomata, a type of asexual reproductive structure, within its thallus. Its lobes, dark brown and slightly flattened at the top, form larger groups at the edges and contain an upper layer composed of loosely interwoven cells and a lower inner tissue that varies from reddish-orange to white.

Upretia squamulosa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), squamulose (scaly) lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It was identified as a new species in 2019 from specimens collected in the arid valley of the Jinsha River in Yunnan, China.

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

Flavoplaca oasis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is widely distributed across Europe, and has been reported in Western Asia, China, and North Africa.

Porpidia nadvornikiana is a rare species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. It is known to occur only in two localities, in the Czech Republic and in Spain, where it grows on serpentinite, an ultramafic rock.

Lecidea toensbergii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. Described as a new species in 2018, it has been documented from several locations in Norway and a single location in Sweden, where it grows in rocky alpine environments.

<i>Porpidia macrocarpa</i> Species of lichen

Porpidia macrocarpa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae.

<i>Acarospora stapfiana</i> Species of lichen

Acarospora stapfiana, the hoary cobblestone lichen, is a lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) lichen species in the family Acarosporaceae. It is known for its parasitic relationship with members of the genus Caloplaca. The species has a unique life cycle in which it starts as a juvenile non-lichenised fungus before forming a fully lichenised thallus. It is found in Asia and North America, where it grows on calcareous rocks.

Joergensenia is a fungal genus in the family Pannariaceae. It comprises a single species, Joergensenia cephalodina, which is a corticolous (bark-dwelling), squamulose lichen found in southern South America.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lecaimmeria". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Xie, Cong-Miao; Wang, Li-Song; Zhao, Zun-Tian; Zhang, Yan-Yun; Wang, Xin-Yu; Zhang, Lu-Lu (2022). "Revision of Immersaria and a new lecanorine genus in Lecideaceae (lichenised Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes)". MycoKeys (87): 99–132. doi: 10.3897/mycokeys.87.72614 . PMC   8863769 . PMID   35210924.
  3. 1 2 Asghar, Hafiza Simab; Nadeem, Muhammad; Oryakhil, Naqibullah; Fayyaz, Iram; Niazi, Abdul Rehman; Afshan, Najam-ul-Sehar; Naseer, Arooj; Khalid, Abdul Nasir (2024). "Two new species of Lecaimmeria (lichenized Ascomycota, Lecideaceae) from Asia". Mycological Progress. 23 (1): 13. Bibcode:2024MycPr..23...13A. doi: 10.1007/s11557-024-01954-4 .
  4. ↑ Habib, Kamran; Zulfiqar, Rizwana; Khalid, Abdul Nasir (2022). "Lecaimmeria pakistanica, a new lichen from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan". European Journal of Taxonomy (834): 94–101. doi:10.5852/ejt.2022.834.1901.
  5. ↑ Salih, Salah Abdulla (2022). "New reports of lichens from Mawat and Gapelon districts in northeastern Iraq". Lindbergia. 2022 (1): 1–4. doi: 10.25227/linbg.01160 .
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