| Nebularia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Peltigerales |
| Family: | Pannariaceae |
| Genus: | Nebularia P.M.Jørg. (2014) |
| Type species | |
| Nebularia incrassata (P.M.Jørg.) P.M.Jørg. (2014) | |
| Species | |
Nebularia is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. [1] It comprises two species, [2] both of which are found in the Andes.
The genus was circumscribed by the Norwegian lichenologist Per Magnus Jørgensen in 2014. The name Nebularia is derived from the Latin word nebula, meaning 'fog' and the suffix -aris, meaning "belonging to". This reflects the habitat of the species, which typically grow in foggy or cloud forests (selvas nubladas). [3]
Nebularia lichens have a brownish thallus, which is made up of small, scale-like structures called squamules . These squamules are up to 3 mm wide and feature thick, finger-like lobes that are about 0.25 mm wide. The upper surface, or cortex , of the thallus is well-developed and composed of tightly packed cells, reaching up to 70 μm thick. Beneath this cortex lies the medulla, a loosely structured layer around 150 μm thick, made of interwoven fungal filaments (hyphae). Embedded within the medulla are clusters of Nostoc —a type of cyanobacteria that forms a symbiotic relationship with the fungus—each cluster containing cells 5–7 μm in diameter. [3]
The apothecia (fruiting bodies) are up to 1.5 mm in diameter. They are reddish-brown, flat, and have a distinct, paler rim. These structures have a proper exciple , or outer layer, made of tightly packed fungal cells ( paraplectenchymatous ) and can be up to 80 μm wide. The tissue layer just below the spore-producing area, the subhymenium , is poorly defined, colourless, and contains loosely arranged fungal filaments, with some photobiont (algal) cells penetrating from below. The hymenium—the layer where spores are produced—is up to 150 μm thick and turns deep blue when stained with iodine. [3]
The asci, or spore sacs, are cylindrical and contain eight spores each. These spores are colourless, have a slightly wrinkled surface ( rugulose }), and range from roughly spherical ( globose ) to oval (ellipsoid), without internal divisions (non-septate). No asexual reproductive structures (pycnidia) have been observed to occur in Nebularia, and chemical analysis has revealed no distinctive lichen substances. [3]
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.
Gallaicolichen is a fungal genus that contains the single species Gallaicolichen pacificus, a foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) lichen. Originally discovered in Hawaii in 2007, G. pacificus has since been found in various locations across the Pacific, including Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Philippines, and Japan. The lichen forms small, pale greenish-yellow to yellowish-grey patches on leaves, typically in mid-altitude forests and along forest edges. G. pacificus is notable for its unique reproductive structures called peltidiangia, which produce disc-shaped propagules (peltidia) for asexual reproduction. Initially, its taxonomic classification was uncertain, but recent discoveries of specimens with sexual reproductive structures have enabled scientists to confidently place it within the family Porinaceae.
Graphis marusae is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Graphidaceae. It is found in a relict tropical lowland rainforest in Veracruz, Mexico, growing in exposed understory.
Lecidea lygommella is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. It spreads up to 7 cm wide with a thin thallus varying in colour from whitish and pale grey to rusty red-brown, featuring areolate surfaces with irregularly shaped areoles. Its fruiting bodies range from slightly embedded to sitting atop the thallus and black, flat to slightly convex apothecial discs. Unlike its lookalike Lecidea lygomma, L. lygommella does not produce any secondary chemicals. It is found in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia, where it grows on rocks in alpine areas.
Macroconstrictolumina is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Trypetheliaceae. It has four species.
Erioderma borbonicum is a little-known species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Pannariaceae. It is endemic to Réunion, an island in the Indian Ocean. The lichen forms a dense, cushion-like thallus with a diameter of 3 to 4 cm, with flat, slightly overlapping lobes with a grey-brown upper surface and cream-coloured underside.
Teloschistes spinosus is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), fruticose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Australia and New Zealand.
Awasthia is a monotypic fungal genus in the family Physciaceae. It contains the single species Awasthia melanotricha, a foliose lichen found in the Nepal Himalayas.
Austroparmeliella is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. It consists of five species, all of which are found in the Southern Hemisphere.
Aspilidea is a fungal genus of uncertain familial placement in the subclass Ostropomycetidae. It contains the single species Aspilidea myrinii, a saxicolous (rock-dwelling) crustose lichen with a circumpolar distribution.
Siphulastrum is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. It has five species. The genus was circumscribed by Johannes Müller Argoviensis in 1889, with S. triste assigned as the type species.
Phormopsora is a fungal genus in the family Pannariaceae. It comprises a single species, Phormopsora isabellina. The genus was proposed in 2020 based on molecular and morphological studies of a lichen previously classified in the genera Psoroma and Pannaria. Phormopsora is characterised by its large, scale-like structures called squamules that form pale grey rosettes, and by the presence of unique lichen substances not found in other members of its family. The species is primarily found in southern South America, particularly in Chile, where it grows on the trunks of evergreen Nothofagus trees in humid, temperate rainforests. Its distinctive features include well-developed structures containing nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria, and spores with a distinctive outer wall that has irregular swellings and thread-like extensions at the tips.
Pseudoheppia is a fungal genus in the family Lichinaceae. It contains a single species, Pseudoheppia schuleri, a saxicolous (rock-dwelling) squamulose lichen.
Meridianelia is a fungal genus in the family Elixiaceae. It consists of the single species Meridianelia maccarthyana, a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen. This lichen forms greyish-white, crust-like growths on tree bark in subalpine woodlands of Tasmania, Australia. Discovered in 2003 and scientifically described in 2009, Meridianelia is classified in the small fungal family Elixiaceae based on its genetic and structural characteristics. The genus is notable for its unique reproductive structures and its apparent rarity, having been found in only a few locations despite growing in a relatively common type of forest.
Boreoplaca is a fungal genus in the family Ophioparmaceae. It comprises the single species Boreoplaca ultrafrigida, a saxicolous (rock-dwelling), squamulose lichen. Both the genus and species were described in 1994 by the Norwegian lichenologist Einar Timdal. The lichen is found in Eastern Siberia, the Russian Far East as well as in adjacent territories of north-east China, and in South Korea. The main characteristics of the lichen are its squamulose thallus, black lecideine apothecia, and Fuscidea-type asci.
Glyphopsis is a fungal genus of uncertain familial placement in the order Arthoniales. It contains the single species Glyphopsis aurantiodisca, a bark-dwelling crustose lichen found in New Caledonia. Both the genus and species were described as new to science in 2014 by the Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot.
Leptogidium is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. It has six species.
Callome is a fungal genus in the family Collemataceae. It consists of the single species Callome multipartita, a saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen found in Northern Africa, Europe, and North America.
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.
Megaloblastenia is a genus of crustose lichen-forming fungi in the family Megalosporaceae, comprising three species. Proposed by Dutch lichenologist Harrie Sipman in 1983, the genus is characterised by its thick, ecorticate thallus ranging from pale whitish-grey to yellowish, and its disc-like fruiting bodies (apothecia) that can be biatorine or lecideine. Megaloblastenia lichens form a symbiotic relationship with Dictyochloropsis algae, produce hyaline, bicellular ascospores with polaribilocular structure, and contain chemical compounds such as zeorin, pannarin, or usnic acid. Found in Australasia and South America, these lichens typically grow as epiphytes on trees in moist forests within temperate to tropical oceanic climates.