| Seawardiella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Teloschistales |
| Family: | Teloschistaceae |
| Genus: | Seawardiella S.Y.Kondr., Kärnefelt & A.Thell (2018) |
| Type species | |
| Seawardiella lobulata (Flörke) S.Y.Kondr., Kärnefelt & A.Thell (2018) | |
| Species | |
Seawardiella is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. [1] It contains two species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichens.
The genus was circumscribed by the lichenologists Sergey Kondratyuk, Ingvar Kärnefelt, and Arne Thell in 2018. The genus name honours the British lichenologist and plant ecologist Mark Seaward. [2]
Seawardiella is in the subfamily Xanthorioideae of the family Teloschistaceae. [3] Seawardiella is comparable to the genus Calogaya , yet it is distinguishable by its underdeveloped thalline sections and the absence of vegetative reproductive structures. [2] In their classification of kingdom Fungi in the 2021 "Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa", Wijayawardene and colleagues do not recognise Seawardiella and instead lump it in synonymy with Calogaya. [4]
Genus Seawardiella encompasses two species of lichens, with a form ranging from small rosette-like structures to less distinct formations, or even as tiny lobules situated at the base of the apothecia (fruiting bodies). These lichens are slightly elevated from their growth surface and exhibit colors from whitish grey or yellowish grey to yellow. The apothecia are typically numerous and prominent, often featuring a well-developed stalk-like structure known as a thalline stipe. The disc of the apothecia is flat or slightly convex, and the external layer (the thalline exciple ) and the true internal layer (the true exciple ) are composed of closely interwoven cells ( paraplectenchymatous ). [2]
In terms of reproductive structures, Seawardiella lichens produce asci that typically contain eight spores. The spores are clear (hyaline) and feature two compartments ( bipolarilocular ) with a wide division (septum) between them. The chemical properties of these lichens vary based on colouration: those with a yellowish tint turn purple when exposed to a solution of potassium hydroxide (i.e., the K spot test), while others that are not yellowish also show a purple reaction with the same chemical. Both the layer above the spore-bearing tissue ( epihymenium ) and the true exciple have a purple reaction when treated with K. [2]
Seawardiella lobulata is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, whereas the distribution of the southern hemisphere species S. tasmaniensis is less well known. [2]
Two species are assigned to Seawardiella: [1]
The Physciaceae are a family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. A 2016 estimate placed 19 genera and 601 species in the family.
Sirenophila is a genus of crustose lichens in the subfamily Teloschistoideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species with an Australasian distribution.
Filsoniana is a genus of squamulose lichens in the family Teloschistaceae. It has six species. It was circumscribed in 2013 by Ingvar Kärnefelt, Arne Thell, Jae-Seoun Hur, Sergey Kondratyuk, and John Elix following a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Teloschistaceae. The generic name honours Australian lichenologist Rex Filson, "in recognition of his contribution to lichenology, in particular to the lichen flora of Australia".
Huneckia is a genus of crustose lichens in the subfamily Caloplacoideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species.
Neobrownliella is a genus of crustose lichens in the subfamily Teloschistoideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It has five species. The genus was circumscribed in 2015 by lichenologists Sergey Kondratyuk, Jack Elix, Ingvar Kärnefelt, and Arne Thell, with Neobrownliella brownlieae assigned as the type species. It is a segregate of the large genus Caloplaca. Characteristics of Neobrownliella include a thallus that is continuous or areolate, the presence of anthraquinones as lichen products, a cortical layer with a palisade paraplectenchyma, and the lack of a thick palisade cortical layer on the underside of the thalline exciple. Two species were included in the original circumscription of the genus; an additional three species were added in 2020.
Rusavskia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has 12 species. It is a member of the subfamily Xanthorioideae. The thallus of Rusavskia is characterized by its foliose (leaf-like) structure with distinct and typically narrow lobes that curve outwards.
Opeltia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens.
Erichansenia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens.
Fauriea is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. The genus, which contains seven species, is a member of the subfamily Caloplacoideae.
Marchantiana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains seven species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens that occur in the Southern Hemisphere.
Verrucoplaca is a monotypic fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains the single species Verrucoplaca verruculifera, a widely distributed saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen that grows on coastal rocks.
Eilifdahlia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains three species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens that occur in the Southern Hemisphere.
Hosseusiella is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species of crustose to foliose (leafy) lichens, some of which grow on bark, while others grow on rock. All three occur in the southern part of the South American continent, where they are fairly common.
Franwilsia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species.
Sirenophila cliffwetmorei is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Australia. Its thallus can reach up to 1 centimetre in width, has a whitish to whitish-grey colour, and is very thin, sometimes almost merging with the substrate, and has paler edges with a darker grey centre. Its numerous tiny apothecia give the thallus a yellow-orange appearance.
Oxneriopsis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens.
Elixjohnia jackelixii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Australia and New Zealand. The lichen is characterised by its unique multilayered appearance with outer sterile rings that are brownish or greenish-yellow and inner areoles that are whitish, yellowish, or greyish, often cracked to reveal the medulla underneath. Its fruiting bodies, or apothecia, are typically attached directly to the thallus and vary in colour and shape.
Yoshimuria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species of crustose lichens.
Coppinsiella is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains five species of corticolous and saxicolous crustose lichens with a distribution in Europe, Asia, and North America. Coppinsiella bears resemblance to the genus Athallia, but it is distinguished by its more developed thallus, typically featuring distinctive crater-like soralia and zeorine-form apothecia, which lack a thalline margin.
Marchantiana occidentalis is a species of corticolous and saxicolous, crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Western Australia, usually as an inhabitant of dry twigs, bark, or wood of various plant species, but occasionally on granite rock outcrops. It forms a well-developed thallus, shiny and composed of tiny dark greenish to brown areoles, with sizes typically ranging from 5–15 mm, though larger aggregations are possible. It features numerous rounded apothecia scattered across its surface, varying in form and colour, with a distinct margin and disc.