| Phylloporis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Phylloporis palmae | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Order: | Strigulales |
| Family: | Strigulaceae |
| Genus: | Phylloporis Clem. (1909) |
| Type species | |
| Phylloporis phyllogena (Müll.Arg.) Clem. (1909) | |
| Synonyms | |
Phylloporis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Strigulaceae. [1] [2] It comprises seven species that are primarily found growing on leaves, with occasional occurrences on bark or on rocks.
The genus Phylloporis was originally established by Frederic Clements in 1909, [3] primarily to accommodate species with a foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) growth habit. Despite this, the genus was later merged into Strigula by some taxonomists due to shared anatomical characteristics, such as ascus type and internal anatomy. This broad generic concept was challenged by subsequent studies, which emphasised differences in thallus morphology and substrate preference. These distinctions have led to the resurrection of Phylloporis as a separate genus, supported by molecular phylogenetics evidence presented by Jiang and colleagues in 2020. [4]
Currently, Phylloporis is recognised as a basally diverging lineage among the foliicolous clades of Strigula sensu lato (in the loose sense). Its supracuticular (surface-dwelling) thallus, in contrast to the subcuticular growth seen in other clades, is thought to be an ancestral trait shared with genera such as Flavobathelium and Phyllobathelium . This supports the view that Phylloporis represents a distinct evolutionary lineage, distinct from Strigula. [4]
The vegetative body, or thallus, of Phylloporis lacks a protective outer layer ( ecorticate ) and is typically grey-green to grey in colour, forming a layer over its substrate . This genus associates with the green algal genus Phycopeltis as its photobiont , which provides photosynthetic capabilities. [4]
Phylloporis produces sexual structures known as perithecia, which are specialised, rounded to conical fruiting bodies. These black structures can either erupt through the surface of the thallus or remain prominent and covered by the thallus layer. The perithecia are carbonaceous (composed of a hard, blackened material) and ostiolate, meaning they have a small opening (ostiole) for spore release. Surrounding the perithecia is a hardened outer covering, the involucrellum , which is also carbonised. The excipulum , or the layer of tissue beneath the involucrellum, has a net-like texture ( prosoplectenchymatous ) and is dark brown to blackish. [4]
Inside the perithecia, the hamathecium —consisting of thread-like, unbranched paraphyses—is colourless (hyaline) and slightly flexible. These structures are extremely fine, measuring only 0.5–0.7 μm in width. The asci (spore sacs) are bitunicate , meaning they have two functional layers that assist in spore release, and contain eight spores each. These asci are cylindrical, with a short stalk (pedicel) and a narrow ocular chamber at the tip, and they do not react to iodine staining (non-amyloid). The spores are fusiform to ellipsoid, hyaline, and divided into two cells (uniseptate). They feature smooth walls and a slight constriction at the central septum. [4]
The genus also produces asexual reproductive structures, the pycnidia, which appear as small, black dots on the thallus. These structures often dominate thalli, which may produce only pycnidia. The spores produced in these structures, known as conidia, can be of two types: macroconidia and microconidia. Macroconidia are larger, ellipsoid to rod-shaped (bacillar), and uniseptate, often with gelatinous appendages. In contrast, microconidia are smaller, ellipsoid to spindle-shaped (fusiform), and lack septa. Both types of conidia are transparent (hyaline). No secondary metabolites or lichen-specific chemicals have been identified in Phylloporis. [4]
Phylloporis species are primarily found growing on leaves, with occasional occurrences on bark or rocks. They inhabit terrestrial environments ranging from lowland regions to montane zones within tropical and subtropical climates. [4]
As of January 2025 [update] , Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accept seven species of Phylloporis: [1]
Porinaceae is a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Gyalectales. While Trichotheliaceae was proposed as an alternative, Porinaceae is the widely accepted name following ongoing nomenclatural discussions. Most members of this family typically have a crust-like appearance and grow on a variety of surfaces, including tree bark, leaves, and rocks. Porinaceae is known for its diverse morphology, ranging from simple crust-like forms to more complex structures with distinct lobes or fan-shaped scales. Porinaceae species generate small, typically flask-shaped reproductive structures, which house spores essential for reproduction. It includes nine recognised genera and more than 365 species, with significant diversity in tropical and subtropical regions.
Lasioloma is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Pilocarpaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Swedish lichenologist Rolf Santesson in 1952, with Lasioloma arachnoideum assigned as the type species. Found predominantly in tropical rainforests, genus Lasioloma contains both foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) and corticolous (bark-dwelling) species. The foliicolous species are distinguished by their woolly prothallus, a thallus that ranges from dispersed to continuous, and a hairy apothecial margin. In contrast, corticolous species typically do not have a woolly prothallus, and their thalli are usually continuous, or unbroken. Regardless of the substrate they inhabit, all known Lasioloma species are characterized by the production of campylidia and branched conidia.
Byssoloma is a genus of leaf-dwelling lichens in the family Pilocarpaceae.
Mazosia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellaceae.
Placopyrenium is a genus of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens in the family Verrucariaceae.
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.
Strigulaceae is a family of lichen-forming fungi, one of two families in the order Strigulales. Recent (2020) molecular analysis of the type genus, Strigula, has led to a reallocation of the foliicolous species into six genera that correspond to well-delimited clades with diagnostic phenotype features.
Serusiauxiella is a genus of leaf-dwelling lichens in the family Strigulaceae. It has three species, all of which are found in wet tropical forests in China. The genus was circumscribed in 2020 by Shu-Hua Jiang, Robert Lücking, and Jiang-Chu Wei, with Serusiauxiella filifera assigned as the type species. The genus name honours Belgian lichenologist Emmanuël Sérusiaux, "in recognition of his important contributions to lichenology, foliicolous lichens and the genus Strigula".
Swinscowia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Strigulaceae. It has 34 species. Swinscowia was proposed in 2020 by lichenologists Shu-Hua Jiang, Robert Lücking, and Emmanuël Sérusiaux to contain non-foliicolous species that were isolated from bark and rocks. Swinscowia jamesii, a species that was originally described in genus Geisleria, and later transferred to Strigula, is the type species of the genus. The genus name honours British lichenologist Dougal Swinscow, who originally described the type species in 1967.
Macroconstrictolumina is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Trypetheliaceae. It has four species.
The Pyrenotrichaceae are a small family of fungi in the order Chaetothyriales. It contains two genera, and a total of six species. The genus Pyrenothrix has two species of bark- or leaf-dwelling lichens, while Neophaeococcomyces has four species of saprobic fungi.
Melanotopelia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has four species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens. This genus includes species characterised by dark pigmentation in their exciple, non-amyloid ascospores, and specific secondary metabolites.
Sparria is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Opegraphaceae.
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.
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.
Microtheliopsis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Microtheliopsidaceae. It comprises four species of foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) crustose lichens.
Celothelium is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Celotheliaceae. These lichens typically have a thin, crust-like thallus that often grows beneath the surface of tree bark or rocks in tropical rainforests and coastal areas. Celothelium species are characterised by small, black, shiny reproductive structures (perithecia), and thread-like spores. The genus has had an uncertain taxonomic history since its original description in 1860, but recent genetic studies have placed it in its own distinct group within the fungal class Eurotiomycetes. Celothelium species have been found in various parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Phyllocraterina is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Strigulaceae. It comprises two species of leaf-dwelling (foliicolous) lichens.
Racoplaca is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Strigulaceae. It comprises seven species of foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) lichens.
Puiggariella is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Strigulaceae. It comprises four species of tropical leaf-dwelling lichens.