| Paralecia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Cladoniaceae |
| Genus: | Paralecia Brackel, Greiner, Peršoh & Rambold (2015) |
| Species: | P. pratorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Paralecia pratorum Brackel, Greiner, Peršoh & Rambold (2015) | |
Paralecia is a monotypic fungal genus in the family Cladoniaceae. [1] It contains a single species, the lichenicolous fungus Paralecia pratorum, found in Europe.
Both the species and the genus were described as new to science in 2015 by Wolfgang von Brackel, Katrin Greiner, Derek Peršoh, and Gerhard Rambold. The type specimen was collected in Tuscany, Italy, in Prati di Logarghena above the city of Pontremoli. Here it was found growing on the lichen Protoparmeliopsis muralis , which itself was growing on schistose rock outcrops in a meadow, at an altitude of 845 m (2,772 ft). The genus name Paralecia combines para- (meaning "along with, beside") and lecia, which refers to the lecideine apothecia produced by the fungus. The specific epithet pratorum, which is derived from the Latin pratum (meaning "meadow"), alludes to the type locality – the meadows of Logarghena. [2]
Initially, the genus was tentatively placed in the family Squamarinaceae, because DNA analysis suggested a close relationship to genus Squamarina . [2] In 2018, Kraichak and colleagues revised the Lecanoromycetes to use temporal-based classification, and placed the Squamarinaceae in synonymy with the Cladoniaceae. [3]
Paralecia pratorum is endothallic, meaning it grows within the tissue of its host. Its apothecia eventually break through the cortex of its host; these structures are black, more or less round with a flattened to convex top, and measure 0.2–0.45 in diameter. The apothecia produce ascospores that are hyaline (translucent), ellipsoid in shape, and typical have dimensions of 11.8–13.7 by 4.7–5.6 μm. The fungus does not appear to harm its host, but causes the formation of new lobes, and somewhat inhibits the formation of host apothecia. [3]
In addition to its initial report from Italy, the fungus has subsequently been recorded from Montenegro [4] and Sweden. [5]
The Cladoniaceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the order Lecanorales. It is one of the largest families of lichen-forming fungi, with about 560 species distributed amongst 17 genera. The reindeer moss and cup lichens (Cladonia) belong to this family. The latter genus, which comprises about 500 species, forms a major part of the diet of large mammals in taiga and tundra ecosystems. Many Cladoniaceae lichens grow on soil, but other can use decaying wood, tree trunks, and, in a few instances, rocks as their substrate. They grow in places with high humidity, and cannot tolerate aridity.
The Leotiomycetes are a class of ascomycete fungi. Many of them cause serious plant diseases.
Scutula is a genus of lichenicolous fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.
The Arthoniaceae are a family of lichenized, lichenicolous and saprobic fungi in the order Arthoniales. The Arthoniaceae is the largest family of Arthoniales, with around 800 species. Most species in Arthoniaceae belong in Arthonia which is the largest genus with 500 species. The second and third largest genus is Arthothelium with 80 species, and Cryptothecia with 60 species.
Biatorellaceae is a family of lichen-forming fungi in the subclass Lecanoromycetidae. The family is monotypic, and contains the single genus Biatorella, which contains eight species.
The Acarosporaceae are a family of fungi in the order Acarosporales. Members of this family have a widespread distribution, and are mostly lichenized with green algae. According to a 2021 estimate, the family contains 11 genera and about 260 species. The family is characterised by a hamathecium formed of paraphysoids.
The Baeomycetales are an order of mostly lichen-forming fungi in the subclass Ostropomycetidae, in the class Lecanoromycetes. It contains 8 families, 33 genera and about 170 species. As a result of molecular phylogenetics research published in the late 2010s, several orders were folded into the Baeomycetales, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of taxa.
Geltingia is a fungal genus in the family Helicogoniaceae. It is monotypic, containing the single lichenicolous species Geltingia associata. The genus was circumscribed in 1990 by mycologists Vagn Alstrup and David Leslie Hawksworth. The genus name honours Danish scientist Paul Gelting.
Traponora is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecanoraceae. The genus was circumscribed in 2009 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot, with the Papua New Guinean Traponora asterella assigned as the type, and at that time, only species. Four newly described species were added to the genus in a 2009 publication, a species formerly in Pyrrhospora was transferred to the genus in 2017, and a new species from Australia added in 2018. Traponora lichens are predominantly from Australasia, with all species but one known to occur in Papua New Guinea.
The Arctomiaceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the Ascomycota, class Baeomycetales. The family was named by Theodor Magnus Fries in 1861, with Arctomia as the type genus. Species in this family are found in arctic and subarctic habitats, usually associated with bryophytes.
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Phacopsis is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. They are parasites of members of the large lichen family Parmeliaceae, of which they are also a member. Originally proposed by Edmond Tulasne in 1852 to contain 3 species, Phacopsis now contains 10 species, although historically, 33 taxa have been described in the genus. Many of the species are poorly known, some of them having been documented only from the type specimen.
Neoprotoparmelia is a genus of crustose lichens that was created in 2018. It contains 24 tropical and subtropical species that mostly grow on bark. Neoprotoparmelia is in the subfamily Protoparmelioideae of the family Parmeliaceae, along with the morphologically similar genera Protoparmelia and Maronina.
Taitaia is a single-species fungal genus in the family Gomphillaceae. It was circumscribed in 2018 to contain the species Taitaia aurea, a lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungus. This species is characterized by aggregated ascomata with yellow margins, and salmon-red discs that originate from a single base. It is known only from a few sites in Kenya's tropical lower-mountain forests, where it grows on thalli of the lichen Crocodia.
Briancoppinsia is a fungal genus in the family Arthoniaceae. It is monotypic, containing the single species Briancoppinsia cytospora, a lichenicolous fungus that parasitises parmelioid lichens, as well as Cladonia, Lepra, and Lecanora conizaeoides, among others. The species was first described scientifically by Léon Vouaux in 1914 as Phyllosticta cytospora. The genus was circumscribed in 2012 by Paul Diederich, Damien Ertz, James Lawrey, and Pieter van den Boom. The genus was named for Brian John Coppins, who is, according to the authors, an "eminent British lichenologist and expert of lichenicolous fungi".
Dolichousnea is a genus of fruticose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. It has three species. The widely distributed type species, Dolichousnea longissima, is found in boreal regions of Asia, Europe, and North America.
Leprocaulaceae is a family of mostly lichen-forming fungi. It is the single family in the monotypic order Leprocaulales. Leprocaulaceae contains three genera and about 33 species.
Raesaenenia is a fungal genus in the large family Parmeliaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single lichenicolous fungus Raesaenenia huuskonenii, which parasitises lichens of genus Bryoria in the Northern Hemisphere.
Opegrapha verseghyklarae is a little-known species of lichenicolous (lichen-eating) fungus in the family Opegraphaceae. It is found in the Russian Far East, where it grows on the thalli and apothecia of the crustose lichen Ochrolechia pallescens.
Thelenellaceae is a family of lichen-forming fungi. It is the sole family in the monotypic order Thelenellales, and contains three genera and about 50 species.