| Puiggariella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Order: | Strigulales |
| Family: | Strigulaceae |
| Genus: | Puiggariella Speg. (1881) |
| Type species | |
| Puiggariella apiahyna Speg. (1881) | |
| Species | |
P. confluens Contents | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Puiggariella is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Strigulaceae. [2] It comprises four species of tropical leaf-dwelling lichens.
The genus Puiggariella was first established by the Argentine mycologist Carlo Luigi Spegazzini in 1881. [3] Over time, it was subsumed within Strigula due to shared morphological features, such as pale, non- carbonised perithecia (fruiting bodies) and folded thalli with small white papillae . Molecular phylogenetics studies, particularly those by Jiang and colleagues (2020), have justified the resurrection of Puiggariella as a distinct genus, recognising its unique evolutionary lineage within foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) fungi. [4]
This genus is closely related to Strigula, but distinct in both morphology and ecological preferences. The light grey-green to whitish thalli of Puiggariella are subcuticular (partially embedded within the leaf surface), often with a rugose (wrinkled) or plicate (folded) texture and scattered white papillae. The genus associates with the photobiont Cephaleuros , a relationship that is consistent across its known species. [4]
Puiggariella includes four morphologically defined species, with molecular data available for two. Its type species, Puiggariella apiahyna (synonymised with Puiggariella nemathora), has long been recognised for its distinctive appearance, particularly the pale perithecia that lack carbonaceous walls. This taxon is now understood as a collective species, comprising several lineages with slight morphological differences. [4]
Recent taxonomic revisions have led to new combinations within the genus, such as Puiggariella hypothelia. The genus Puiggariella is now recognised as a distinct clade, differentiated from related genera not only by its morphological traits but also by its substrate and photobiont specificity. [4]
The thallus of Puiggariella is light grey-green to whitish green and partially embedded in the leaf surface (subcuticular). It is either corticate or pseudocorticate (having a thin, incomplete outer layer) and often has a wrinkled and folded ( rugose - plicate ) texture, interspersed with numerous small, white, wart-like projections ( papillae ). This genus associates with the green alga of the genus Cephaleuros , which serves as its photosynthetic partner. [4]
The sexual reproductive structures, called perithecia, are small, pale, wart-shaped structures that develop partially embedded in or protruding from the thallus. These structures are stiolate, meaning they have a small opening through which spores are released, and lack the blackened, carbonaceous walls typical of many other lichen perithecia. Surrounding the perithecia is a pale to brownish involucrellum , a protective outer covering, with an excipulum (the layer beneath) of a similar colour and net-like texture ( prosoplectenchymatous ). [4]
Inside, the hamathecium comprises slender, flexible, unbranched, or occasionally branched filaments called paraphyses, which are colourless (hyaline) and measure 0.5–0.7 μm in width. The asci, or spore sacs, are narrow and club-shaped ( obclavate ), containing eight spores each. They are bitunicate , with two functional wall layers aiding in spore release, and fissitunicate , meaning they split open to discharge spores. The ascospores are hyaline, fusiform (spindle-shaped), and divided into two cells (1-septate). They are thin-walled, slightly constricted at the septum, and arranged in either a random or two-row pattern within the asci. [4]
Asexual reproduction occurs through specialised structures called pycnidia, which are infrequent and appear as small, dark, immersed dots on the thallus. These structures produce two types of asexual spores (conidia): larger, rod-shaped macroconidia with one septum and gelatinous appendages, and smaller, ellipsoid to spindle-shaped (fusiform) microconidia that lack septa. Both types of conidia are hyaline. No secondary metabolites, such as lichen-specific compounds, have been identified in this genus. [4]
Puiggariella species are found in tropical regions, ranging from lowland areas to montane zones. They grow as lichenised fungi on the surfaces of leaves in terrestrial environments. [4]
Ochrolechia is the sole genus in the fungal family Ochrolechiaceae. It comprises about 40 species of crustose lichens. These lichens typically form uneven, often thick, crust-like growths on various surfaces and are characterised by their white to pale grey thalli, which may have a greenish tint. The genus has a long evolutionary history, with fossils dating back to the Paleogene period, about 34 million years ago. Ochrolechia species have disc-like apothecia, which are usually yellowish or brownish-pink and often covered with a fine white powdery coating. The genus is widely distributed and includes both common and rare species, with some found in extreme environments such as arctic and alpine regions. Ochrolechia lichens produce diverse secondary metabolites, including orcinol depsides, depsidones, and xanthones.
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.
Vermilacinia nylanderi is a fruticose lichen that grows on branches of shrubs in the fog regions along the Pacific Coast of North America in the Channel Islands and in Baja California from near El Rosario south to the Vizcaíno Peninsula The epithet honors William Nylander who published a monograph on the related genus Ramalina in 1870.
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".
Mastodia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Verrucariaceae. It has six species.
Sagiolechiaceae is a small family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Ostropales. It contains two genera, Rhexophiale, and Sagiolechia, the type genus.
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.
Baidera is a single-species fungal genus in the family Roccellaceae. It contains the species Baidera mauritiana, a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen found in Mauritius. Both the genus and species were described as new to science in 2020 by Paul Diederich and Damien Ernst. The genus name honours Cláudia Baider, curator of the Mauritius Herbarium.
Tenuitholiascus is a fungal genus in the monotypic family Tenuitholiascaceae, itself in the order Strigulales. The genus contains a single species, Tenuitholiascus porinoides, a foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) lichen found in China.
Enterographa aldabrensis is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It is only known to occur in Aldabra in the Seychelles.
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.
Saxiloba is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Porinaceae. It comprises three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) placodioid lichens, known from disjunct locations in the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Brazil. The genus was circumscribed in 2020 to accommodate species with a distinctive placodioid thallus featuring unique surface patterns and internal crystal structures. Saxiloba lichens are characterised by their flattened, leaf-like thalli with marginal lobes, growing tightly appressed to rock surfaces. They have a complex internal structure, including large crystal clusters embedded within the photobiont layer, which may be an adaptation for light management in their typically shaded habitats.
Gloeoheppia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Gloeoheppiaceae. It comprises five species. The genus is distinguished from similar-looking lichens like Heppia by its internal structure, the nature of its photobiont, and details of its reproductive structures.
Flabelloporina is a fungal genus in the family Porinaceae. It consists of a single species, Flabelloporina squamulifera, which grows on tree bark in tropical rainforests. The lichen was first discovered in Costa Rica in 2013 and later found in Brazil, suggesting it may be more widespread in South and Central American wet forests. Flabelloporina is distinguished by its unique thallus structure, which produces numerous small, fan-shaped outgrowths called squamules. These structures, along with its black fruiting bodies and internal features, set it apart from related lichens. Originally classified in the genus Porina, genetic analysis in 2018 revealed it to be distinct, leading to the creation of the new genus Flabelloporina. The lichen typically inhabits the lower levels of humid forests, where it can sometimes extensively cover individual tree trunks.
Microtheliopsis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Microtheliopsidaceae. It comprises four species of foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) crustose lichens.
Pyrenothrix is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pyrenotrichaceae. It comprises two species of filamentous lichens, which are organisms formed by a symbiotic relationship between fungi and photosynthetic partners. The genus is characterized by its unique structure, featuring densely arranged filaments composed of cyanobacteria wrapped in fungal threads. Pyrenothrix species form dark greyish-brown growths on various surfaces, with one species found on tree bark and the other on leaves in tropical forests. The genus was circumscribed in 1917 by American scientist Lincoln Ware Riddle, based on specimens collected in Florida. Pyrenothrix is distinguished from other lichens by its intricate cellular structure and reproductive features, including specialized spore-producing structures.
Racoplaca is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Strigulaceae. It comprises seven species of foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) lichens.
Phylloporis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Strigulaceae. It comprises seven species that are primarily found growing on leaves, with occasional occurrences on bark or on rocks.