Polycoccaceae

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Polycoccaceae
Polycoccum pulvinatum 171843661.jpg
Polycoccum pulvinatum (black dots) growing on the thallus of a Physcia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Dothideomycetes
Order: Trypetheliales
Family: Polycoccaceae
Ertz, Hafellner & Diederich (2015)
Genera

Clypeococcum
Polycoccum

Polycoccaceae is a family of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi in the order Trypetheliales. [1] [2] The family was circumscribed in 2015 by Damien Ertz, Josef Hafellner, and Paul Diederich. Molecular phylogenetic analysis shows Polycoccaceae to have a sister relationship with the family Trypetheliaceae. [3]

Species within the Polycoccaceae distinguish themselves from those in the Trypetheliaceae due to their non-lichenized, lichenicolous nature and typically smaller, 1-septate, brown ascospores . However, both share similarities, such as perithecioid ascomata, intertwined paraphysoids set within a hymenial gel matrix, and bitunicate asci. The primary morphological characteristics of the core group of the family, the type genus Polycoccum, are its thick-walled ascospores that are often distinctly ornamented. [3]

Polycoccaceae comprises two genera: Clypeococcum with 12 species, and Polycoccum with 60 species. All members of this family are lichenicolous, with a collectively wide range of lichen hosts. Among the six families exclusively made up of lichenicolous fungi – including Abrothallaceae, Adelococcaceae, Sarcopyreniaceae, Obryzaceae, and Cyphobasidiaceae – Polycoccaceae is the most species-rich. [4]

Description

The Polycoccaceae are characterised by distinctive features in their reproductive and structural attributes. Ascomata , a primary reproductive structure, originate individually but often group together as they develop. In some cases, they might join via a structure called a clypeus or even become encased in protective galls. Initially, these ascomata are deeply embedded, making only the ostiole, or opening, visible. However, as they mature, the upper half becomes more prominent. These structures, varying from dark brown to black in colour, resemble perithecia , taking on shapes that are nearly spherical to obpyriform . Furthermore, their necks are rather short, blending seamlessly with the main ascomatal wall. [3]

Diving deeper into their structural composition, the ascomatal wall is observed to either maintain uniform thickness or expand slightly around the ostiole. This wall is constructed of 3–6 layers of pseudoparenchymatous cells. When viewed in a vertical cross-section, these cells appear radially compressed, while a surface perspective reveals them to be uniformly shaped, creating a pattern known as textura angularis . The outermost cell layers have evenly thickened walls, adopting a brown to dark brown hue and extending below the central part, or centrum . In contrast, the inner cell layers have a lighter pigmentation, ranging from lightly coloured to clear, composed predominantly of thin-walled cells. [3]

Another significant aspect of the Polycoccaceae is the hamathecium , a structure formed from a dense network of branching, interconnecting filaments. These filaments, potentially classified as trabeculate pseudoparaphyses (or paraphysoids ), have variations in septation, ranging from regular to sparse. Notably, the structure lacks periphyses . Furthermore, the hymenial gel, a component of the hamathecium, produces a blue to violet colour when exposed to iodine, though in some instances, it remains unaltered. [3]

Lastly, the asci, essential for reproductive processes, are broad and cylindrical, narrowing down to a short stalk at the base. These structures possess a dual-layered ( bitunicate ) wall, which splits open at maturity ( fissitunicate ). The upper part of mature asci is thicker, culminating in a small internal apical beak and can contain between 2 and 8 spores. These spores, positioned irregularly within the asci, are elliptical with a single division. Their size may vary, with the upper half occasionally appearing larger. Maturing to a brown or dark brown shade, their surface might either be smooth or exhibit fine patterns and, in some cases, they are encased within a gelatinous sheath. [3]

Related Research Articles

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The Trypetheliales are an order of fungi in the class Dothideomycetes. Most of the species in the order form lichens, although some are lichenicolous fungi. Trypetheliales contains two families, Polycoccaceae and Trypetheliaceae. The order was circumscribed in 2008 by lichenologists Robert Lücking, André Aptroot, and Harrie Sipman.

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<i>Piccolia</i> Genus of lichens

Piccolia is a small genus of crustose lichens in the class Lecanoromycetes. First circumscribed by Italian lichenologist Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo in 1864, it contains ten species. Due to a lack of molecular data, it has not been assigned to an order or family.

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Plectocarpon galapagoense is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Lecanographaceae. Native to the Galápagos Islands, it grows on and within the ascomata and thallus of Sarcographa tricosa, a host lichen species. Although it appears to be a weak parasite, it may cause significant damage to the host lichen's reproductive structures.

<i>Fulvophyton</i> Genus of lichens

Fulvophyton is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellographaceae. It has 11 species. Fulvophyton is characterised by its crust-like thallus, which is often pale yellowish-brown in colour. This genus features a photobiont from the green algal genus Trentepohlia and exhibits a unique arrangement of reproductive structures.

Protothelenella is a genus of fungi in the family Protothelenellaceae. It contains 11 species, some of which form lichens. Protothelenella species have a crustose thallus with spherical to pear-shaped, dark brown to blackish perithecia. Microscopic characteristics of the genus include bitunicate asci with an amyloid tholus, and ascospores that are colourless and contain multiple internal partitions. Some species grow on acidic substrates including rocks, soil, bryophytes, plant detritus or rotten wood. Other species are lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling), growing on species of Solorina, Peltigera, Pseudocyphellaria, or Cladonia.

Alloarthopyrenia is a monotypic fungal genus in the family Trypetheliaceae. It contains the single species Alloarthopyrenia italica, a little-known fungus that lives as a saprotroph on living tree branches. The fungus is known from material collected in Italy, for which it is named.

Stigmidium cerinae is a species of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungus in the family Mycosphaerellaceae. It was formally described as a new species in 1994 by mycologists Claude Roux and Dagmar Triebel. The type specimen was collected in Austria from the apothecia of the muscicolous (moss-dwelling) species Caloplaca stillicidiorum. It infects lichens in the genus Caloplaca, and more generally, members of the family Teloschistaceae. Infection by the fungus results in bleaching of the host hymenium.

References

  1. ↑ "Polycoccaceae". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  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 [124]. doi: 10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2 . S2CID   249054641.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ertz, Damien; Diederich, Paul; Lawrey, James D.; Berger, Franz; Freebury, Colin E.; Coppins, Brian; Gardiennet, Alain; Hafellner, Josef (2015). "Phylogenetic insights resolve Dacampiaceae (Pleosporales) as polyphyletic: Didymocyrtis (Pleosporales, Phaeosphaeriaceae) with Phoma-like anamorphs resurrected and segregated from Polycoccum (Trypetheliales, Polycoccaceae fam. nov.)". Fungal Diversity. 74: 53–89. doi:10.1007/s13225-015-0345-6. S2CID   256059701.
  4. ↑ Diederich, Paul; Lawrey, James D.; Ertz, Damien (2018). "The 2018 classification and checklist of lichenicolous fungi, with 2000 non-lichenized, obligately lichenicolous taxa". The Bryologist. 121 (3): 345, 359. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-121.3.340. S2CID   92396850.
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