Straminella printzenii is a species of crustose lichen in the family Lecanoraceae. It was described from Spain in 2011 and is a lichenicolous species that grows on other lichens, especially Umbilicaria. Recent phylogenetic work resurrected the genus Straminella for the former Lecanora varia group and transferred this species to it.
The species was first described in 2011 as Lecanora printzenii by Sergio Pérez-Ortega, Mercedes Vivas Rebuelta, and Josef Hafellner. The epithet honours lichenologist Christian Printzen of Frankfurt, Germany, in recognition of his work on the taxonomy of yellow Lecanora species.[2]
In 2025, a seven-locus phylogenetic study of Lecanora sensu lato resurrected Straminella for the former Lecanora varia group and made the new combinationStraminella printzenii for this species.[3]
Description
Straminella printzenii is characterised by its yellowish-green thallus composed of convex, irregularly rounded areoles , and its numerous apothecia , which can be either regular in shape or compressed and irregular.[4] Young apothecia are sessile with thick margins that transition from greenish to black, and they feature a narrow yet distinct whitish band on the inner side. Initially rounded, the apothecia become flexuose as they mature,[2] and they become constricted at the base and cup-shaped. Older apothecia are flat, narrowly attached, and have a much thinner margin. The apothecial discs transition from yellowish-green to melanized and can range from bare to somewhat pruinose . This melanization of both the apothecial margin and the disc helps to differentiate it from its close relatives.[4] The photobiont partner is a green alga in the genus Trebouxia, with cells up to 20μm in diameter.[2] Microscopically, the asci are Lecanora-type with simple, colourless ascospores, and the conidia are slender and curved.[3]
In the genus Straminella, the thallus is typically greenish yellow to beige and usually lacks soredia, and the apothecia are often abundant. In S.printzenii, the apothecial disc and parts of the margin often become strongly darkened (blackish) in older apothecia.[3]
Similar species
Straminella printzenii belongs to the Straminella (Lecanora varia) species group and is closely related to other members of the group such as S.varia, S.burgaziae, and S.densa. However, it is distinguished from these relatives by its lichenicolous habit, a partly melanizedexcipulum , the blackish disc, and its distinct ITS sequence.[2] Other lichenicolous species of Lecanora, such as L.lasalliae on Lasallia pustulata and L.gyrophorina on Umbilicaria hyperborea, are outside the Straminella (Lecanora varia) group and differ in host range, anatomy and chemistry.[2]
Habitat and distribution
Straminella printzenii is a lichenicolous lichen found mainly on species of Umbilicaria; a Polish collection was made on Psorinia conglomerata.[3][4] It can cause significant damage to the areas of the host where it grows.[2]
The species has been recorded from mountainous regions across Europe including Sierra de Francia (Spain), the Alps (Austria), the Carpathians (Poland),[4] and most recently Montenegro on the Balkan Peninsula.[7] That record extends the known distribution of S.printzenii, which is expected to be wider.[4]
12345Ivanovich-Hichins, C.; Weber, L.; Li, L.; Leavitt, S.D.; Muggia, L.; Palice, Z.; Pérez-Ortega, S.; Sohrabi, M.; Printzen, C. (2025). "New phylogenetic insights into the lichen genus Lecanora s. lat. (Lecanoraceae, Ascomycota): resurrection of the genera Glaucomaria, Straminella and Zeora". The Lichenologist. 57: 278–303. doi:10.1017/S0024282925101321.
1234567Flakus, Adam; Śliwa, Lucyna (2012). "Additional information on the recently described species, Lecanora printzenii". The Lichenologist. 44 (4): 561–562. doi:10.1017/s0024282912000072.
↑Hafellner, Josef; Mayrhofer, Helmut (2021). "Noteworthy records of lichenicolous fungi from various countries on the Balkan Peninsula. II". Herzogia. 33 (2): 494–511. doi:10.13158/heia.33.2.2020.494.
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