Porpidinia

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Porpidinia
Porpidinia tumidula.jpg
Porpidinia tumidula
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecideales
Family: Lecideaceae
Genus: Porpidinia
Timdal (2010)
Type species
Porpidinia tumidula
(Sm.) Timdal (2010)
Species

P. brevispora
P. tumidula

Porpidinia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. [1] 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

Einar Timdal circumscribed Porpidinia in 2010, specifically for the species Porpidinia tumidula, which was initially categorised under Toninia due to similarities in thallus structure. However, it was reclassified because it had characteristics inconsistent with Toninia, such as Psora -type asci, a non-amyloid hymenial gelatin, and paraphyses that were more tightly bound together, topped with a distinctly pigmented cap. By contrast, the traditional scope of Toninia encompasses species with Bacidia -type asci, an amyloid hymenial gelatin, and loosely conjoined paraphyses featuring vaguely pigmented ends. Although Porpidinia shows similarities to Psora, it is differentiated by its fully developed, darkly pigmented proper exciple , paraphyses that are less tightly adhered and feature a more defined pigmented cap, along with a non-amyloid hymenial gelatin. These distinctions align Porpidinia more closely with the family Lecideaceae. Porpidinia is set apart from the squamulose genus Romjularia within the same family by its black apothecia (as opposed to dark brown), non-amyloid hymenial gelatin, a darker brown hypothecium , and paraphyses characterised by enlarged apical cells. [2] A second species was added to the genus in 2020. [3]

Description

The genus Porpidinia has a distinctive, irregularly shaped and overlapping thallus, which refers to the body of the lichen. This thallus is squamulose , meaning it has scale-like sections, each large in size, up to 8 mm in diameter, ranging from round to lobed shapes. These scales are somewhat convex and have a pale greenish-gray to pale olive-brown colour, often covered in a dense white powdery coating known as pruina , though occasionally they are not coated ( epruinose ). [2]

The reproductive structures, or apothecia, of Porpidinia are marginal , meaning they are located at the edge of the thallus, and range in colour from brown-black to black. These structures are lecideine in form, a description that denotes their non-fleshy, hard, and usually dark nature. The top layer of the apothecium, known as the epihymenium , is brown in colour and does not react to chemical tests with potassium hydroxide (K–) or sodium hypochlorite (N–), indicating the absence of certain chemical reactions typically used in lichen identification. [2]

Beneath the epihymenium lies the hypothecium, a supportive layer that is dark brown in colour. Surrounding the reproductive parts, the exciple (the outer layer of the apothecium) contains calcium oxalate crystals, contributing to the lichen's structure and potentially to its chemical resistance. The paraphyses, or sterile filaments within the apothecium, are closely stuck together and end in swollen brown-pigmented tips. [2] Porpidinia contains eight-spored asci of the Psora-type. The ascospores of Porpidinia are colourless, range from simple to one-septate (divided by a single cross wall), and are narrowly ellipsoid in shape, measuring between 10 and 18 micrometres in length and 3 to 5 micrometers in width. [2]

Chemically, the thalli of Porpidinia may contain no distinct lichen substances or may possess an unidentified substance that fluoresces blue under ultraviolet light (UV+ blue), which suggests a unique chemical signature not yet fully understood. [3]

Habitat and distribution

Genus Porpidinia, specifically the species Porpidinia tumidula, is found in diverse environments, from coastal regions to mountainous areas, predominantly occupying exposed calcareous (lime-rich) rocks. This species has a broad ecological range, adapting from maritime environments, where the influence of the sea plays a significant role in the habitat's characteristics, to montane zones, which are found at higher elevations in mountainous regions. [3]

Geographically, Porpidinia tumidula has a wide distribution across southern Europe and extends its presence to central, western, and northern parts of the continent. Its range further spans to northern Africa, specifically in Algeria, parts of Asia, the Russian sectors of the Caucasus, and even as far afield as New Zealand. In contrast, Porpidinia brevispora, has a more localised habitat preference, primarily found in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range within the Primorsky Krai of the Russian Far East. This particular species thrives on carbonate rocks at lower elevations, indicating a specialised habitat niche compared to the more widely distributed Porpidinia tumidula. [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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecideaceae</span> Family of lichen-forming fungi

The Lecideaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecideales. It contains about 30 genera and roughly 250 species. A major distinguishing characteristic of the family is the lecanoroid form of the fruiting bodies: typically circular, dark, and without a thalline margin. Most species in the family are lichenised with green algae, although a few species, scattered amongst several genera, are lichenicolous—they live on other lichens. Lecideaceae lichens tend to grow on rocks, wood, and soil. Several Lecideaceae species accelerate the weathering of rock surfaces, a process known as pedogenesis, by extending their hyphae into cracks and expelling rock flakes. This contributes to significantly faster weathering rates in certain environments, impacts various materials from natural rocks to man-made Sekishu roof tiles, and involves key biomolecules identified for survival and biodeterioration, including compounds to withstand intense ultraviolet radiation.

<i>Immersaria</i> Genus of lichen

Immersaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. It has eight species of crustose lichens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tephromelataceae</span> Family of lichens in the order Lecanorales

The Tephromelataceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the order Lecanorales. The family was circumscribed by Austrian lichenologist Josef Hafellner in 1984. Tephromelataceae comprises the genera Tephromela, Calvitimela, Mycoblastus and Violella, which together constitute a well-supported monophyletic group.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhizocarpales</span> Order of fungi

The Rhizocarpales are an order of lichen-forming fungi in the subclass Lecanoromycetidae of the class Lecanoromycetes. It has two families, Rhizocarpaceae and Sporastatiaceae, which contain mostly crustose lichens.

<i>Carbonicola</i> (lichen) Genus of lichens

Carbonicola is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi. It is the sole genus in the monogeneric family Carbonicolaceae. The genus, which collectively has an almost cosmopolitan distribution, contains three squamulose lichens that prefer to grow on burned wood in temperate areas of the world.

<i>Lecidea tessellata</i> Species of lichen

Lecidea tessellata is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. It was formally described as a species in 1819 by German botanist Heinrich Flörke. In northern North America, it is common and widely distributed, growing on non-calcareous rocks. It also occurs in Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Europe, and Russian Asia. In India, it has been recorded only from the alpine Western Himalayas at an altitude of 3,450 m (11,320 ft). Its southern distribution extends to James Ross Island, where it is locally common.

Lecanactis minutissima is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. Found in Sri Lanka, the lichen is characterised by its pale ochraceous thallus and sessile apothecia with dark brown discs, covered with thick white granular pruina.

Cratiria sorediata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. It was first described as a new species in 2009. The type specimen was collected from Aldabra in the Seychelles.

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.

Placolecis kunmingensis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Catillariaceae. It is found in Yunnan, China. The lichen is characterised by a thallus that is areolate to squamulose in its centre, forming irregular patches or clumps 10–50 mm wide, as well as its ellipsoid or spherical ascospores with slightly thickened wall.

Tetramelas flindersianus is a saxicolous (rock-dwelling) crustose lichen species in the family Physciaceae. First described scientifically in 2020, it is found in Australia.

Buellia cravenii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. It is found in Australia. The lichen spreads up to 3.5 cm wide thick, forming a continuous, grey-white cracked pattern of areoles.

Byssoloma xanthonicum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Pilocarpaceae. It is found in New Caledonia.

Fulgidea is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Umbilicariaceae. It has two species of squamulose lichens that grow on bark and on wood.

Lecidea toensbergii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. Described as a new species in 2018, it has been documented from several locations in Norway and a single location in Sweden, where it grows in rocky alpine environments.

<i>Lecaimmeria</i> Genus of lichens

Lecaimmeria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. Established in 2022, it comprises 13 species of lichens that grow on rock surfaces (saxicolous) and form a thin, crust-like covering (crustose) on their substrate. These lichens are characterised by their glossy, orange to red-brown outer layer (thallus) and sunken fruiting bodies (apothecia) with red-brown centres. Lecaimmeria species are typically found in harsh environments at high altitudes or latitudes, particularly in mountainous regions of western China and across parts of Eurasia. The genus was created to accommodate species previously classified under Immersaria that shared certain distinct features, following molecular analysis that revealed they formed a separate group.

<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.

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.

References

  1. ↑ 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. doi:10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2. hdl: 1854/LU-8754813 .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Timdal, E. (2010). "Porpidinia (Porpidiaceae), a new genus for Toninia tumidula". In Hafellner, Josef; Kärnefelt, Ingvar; Wirth, Volkmar (eds.). Diversity and Ecology of Lichens in Polar and Mountain Ecosystems. Bibliotheca Lichenologica. Vol. 104. J. Cramer. pp. 333–337. ISBN   978-3-443-58083-4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Yakovchenko, Lidia; Davydov, Evgeny A.; Paukov, Alexander; Ohmura, Yoshihito (2020). "Porpidinia brevispora, a new species and the second representative of the genus Porpidinia (Lecideaceae, Lecanorales) from the Russian Far East". Phytotaxa. 459 (1): 75–80. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.459.1.8. S2CID   222107309.
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