Parallopsora

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Parallopsora
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Ramalinaceae
Genus: Parallopsora
Kistenich, Timdal & Bendiksby (2018)
Type species
Parallopsora leucophyllina
(Nyl.) Kistenich, Timdal & Bendiksby (2018)
Species

P. brakoae
P. labriformis
P. leucophyllina

Parallopsora is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. [1] [2] Established in 2018, the genus contains three species that were previously classified under a related genus, Phyllopsora . These lichens form small, scale-like growths that overlap like roof tiles and typically appear pale green to bluish-green in colour. They reproduce through both small brown fruiting bodies and sometimes through powdery structures on their surface. The species are known to grow in tropical rainforests, particularly in Brazil, Peru and Cuba.

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus was circumscribed in 2018 by Sonja Kistenich, Einar Timdal, and Mika Bendiksby. The genus was created to reclassify species that were previously included in the genus Phyllopsora , based on new phylogenetic evidence. The name Parallopsora combines the prefix "para-" (meaning "beside" or "near") and "-llopsora", alluding to the genus's close relationship to Phyllopsora. The type species for the genus is Parallopsora leucophyllina, which was originally described by William Nylander. In addition to P. leucophyllina, the genus includes Parallopsora brakoae and Parallopsora labriformis, which were previously classified in Phyllopsora but reassigned to Parallopsora based on recent molecular data. These species were originally described from tropical rainforest regions, particularly in Peru and Cuba. [3]

Description

Lichens in the genus Parallopsora have a squamulose thallus—a crust-like body that consists of small, overlapping scale-like structures ( squamules ). The thallus may either form as an effuse, spreading layer or take on a circular form with radiating lobes at the edges. The squamules, which are up to 2 mm wide, adhere tightly to the substrate when young but soon become elevated and imbricate (overlapping like roof tiles). The upper surface of the thallus is typically pale green to bluish green and can be smooth ( glabrous ) or finely hairy ( tomentose ). Some species in this genus may produce powdery reproductive structures called soralia, but these are not always present. The genus lacks a prothallus , which is a fungal mat that some lichens develop around the thallus edges. [3]

The upper cortex (the outermost layer of the thallus) is composed of irregularly arranged, thick-walled fungal filaments called hyphae, but it does not contain crystals or a dead layer of cells known as the epinecral layer . The lichen's symbiotic algae are unicellular and green, and the internal tissue (medulla) may or may not contain lichen-specific chemicals. Unlike some lichens, Parallopsora lacks a lower cortex, meaning the thallus is not protected on its underside. [3]

The apothecia (fruiting bodies) are small, biatorine (without a thalline margin ), and typically brown in colour. They can reach up to 1.0 mm in diameter, have a slightly convex shape, and their edges are poorly defined, often disappearing as they mature. Inside the apothecia, the hymenium—the spore-producing layer—contains paraphyses (sterile support filaments) and asci (sac-like structures that contain spores). The paraphyses are straight and unbranched, while the asci are clavate (club-shaped), containing eight simple or faintly septate (divided) ascospores that are slender and rod-shaped ( bacilliform to acicular ). The genus does not produce any visible conidiomata (asexual spore-producing structures). Some species of Parallopsora produce secondary metabolites such as homosekikaic acid and sekikaic acid, while others do not produce any detectable lichen substances. [3]

Species

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.

Scutula is a genus of lichenicolous fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramalinaceae</span>

The Ramalinaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecanorales. First proposed by Carl Adolph Agardh in 1821, the family now comprises 63 genera and about 750 species. Ramalinaceae lichens exhibit diverse growth forms, including crustose, fruticose, squamulose, leprose, and byssoid thalli, and form symbiotic relationships primarily with green algae of the genus Trebouxia. The family is characterised by pale-coloured thalli, apothecia that are typically pale but may darken with age, and ascospores that vary in shape and septation.

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

Ramalina is a genus of greenish fruticose lichens that grow in the form of flattened, strap-like branches. Members of the genus are commonly called strap lichens or cartilage lichens. Apothecia are lecanorine.

Crustospathula is a genus of five species of crustose lichens in the family Malmideaceae. They are characterized by their stalked and sometimes branched cartilaginous soredia and Bacidia-like apothecia.

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

Schadonia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi. Established by German lichenologist Gustav Wilhelm Körber in 1859, this genus of crustose lichens is characterised by its black, sessile apothecia, muriform ascospores, and growth on mosses, plant debris, and rocks in montane habitats. While traditionally placed in the family Ramalinaceae, recent studies have suggested its classification may be uncertain within the order Lecanorales, with some researchers proposing its placement in the Pilocarpaceae or the resurrection of the family Schadoniaceae. The genus currently comprises four recognised species.

<i>Phyllopsora</i> Genus of lichens

Phyllopsora is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.

<i>Mazosia</i> Genus of lichens

Mazosia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellaceae.

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

Megalaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It contains 44 species of crustose lichens, the majority of which grow on bark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malmideaceae</span> Family of fungi

Malmideaceae is a family of crustose and corticolous lichens in the order Lecanorales. It contains eight genera and about 70 species.

Bibbya is a genus of fruticose lichens in the family Ramalinaceae.

Biatora oxneri is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It is found in the Russian Far East and in South Korea.

Phyllopsora amazonica is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It is found in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil.

Phyllopsora concinna is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), squamulose (scaley) lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. Found in Central and South America, it was formally described as a new species in 2019 by lichenologists Sonja Kistenich and Einar Timdal. The lichen has a scaley, effuse (spread-out) thallus that is pale green with a well-developed, white prothallus. Apothecia occur rarely; they are brownish with a paler margin, measuring up to 1 mm in diameter. Ascospores are simple with a narrow ellipsoid to fusiform shape, and dimensions of 12.5–16·0 by 3.5–4.0 μm. Atranorin and parvifoliellin are major lichen products that occur in this species. The latter compound distinguishes it chemically from the morphologically similar species Phyllopsora cinchonarum, which instead contains lobaric acid. The botanical name concinna, refers to its "beautiful" appearance.

<i>Thalloidima</i> Genus of lichens

Thalloidima is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It has 13 species.

<i>Porpidinia</i> Genus of lichens

Porpidinia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. It has two species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) lichens. The type species of the genus, Porpidinia tumidula, thrives in a variety of settings from coastal to mountainous areas, primarily on lime-rich rocks, and is widely spread across southern to northern Europe, northern Africa, parts of Asia, and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Porpidinia brevispora is more regionally confined, found specifically in the Sikhote-Alin range in the Russian Far East, favouring carbonate rocks at lower altitudes.

<i>Romjularia</i> Single-species lichen genus

Romjularia is a fungal genus in the family Lecideaceae, containing the single species Romjularia lurida, a saxicolous and terricolous 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.

<i>Kiliasia</i> Genus of lichens

Kiliasia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It comprises seven species.

<i>Bellicidia</i> Single-species lichen genus

Bellicidia is a fungal genus in the family Ramalinaceae. It comprises the single species Bellicidia incompta, a widely distributed corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen.

References

  1. ↑ "Parallopsora". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  2. ↑ 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 [152]. doi:10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2. hdl: 1854/LU-8754813 .
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kistenich, Sonja; Timdal, Einar; Bendiksby, Mika; Ekman, Stefan (2018). "Molecular systematics and character evolution in the lichen family Ramalinaceae (Ascomycota: Lecanorales)". Taxon. 67 (5): 871–904. doi:10.12705/675.1. hdl: 10852/67955 .
  4. ↑ Aptroot, André; de Souza, Maria Fernanda; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva; dos Santos, Lidiane Alves; Spielmann, Adriano Afonso (2022). "New lichen records from Brazil" (PDF). Archive for Lichenology. 31: 1–51 [33].
  5. ↑ Aptroot, André; Souza, Maria Fernanda; Spielmann, Adriano Afonso (2021). "Two new crustose Cladonia species with strepsilin and other new lichens from the Serra de Maracaju, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil" (PDF). Cryptogamie, Mycologie. 42 (8): 137–148. doi:10.5252/cryptogamie-mycologie2021v42a8.
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