Sulzbacheromyces chocoensis

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Sulzbacheromyces chocoensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Lepidostromatales
Family: Lepidostromataceae
Genus: Sulzbacheromyces
Species:
S. chocoensis
Binomial name
Sulzbacheromyces chocoensis
Coca, Lücking & B.Moncada (2018)

Sulzbacheromyces chocoensis is a species of soil-dwelling basidiolichen in the family Lepidostromataceae. [1] It forms a thin, olive-green crust on clay soil and produces distinctive unbranched, reddish-orange to yellowish reproductive structures. The species was described in 2018 from specimens collected in Colombia's Chocó Biogeographic Region, where it grows in tropical rainforest environments.

Contents

Taxonomy

Sulzbacheromyces chocoensis was formally described as a new species in 2018 by the lichenologists Luis Fernando Coca, Robert Lücking, and Bibiana Moncada. The holotype specimen (Coca et al. 5821) was collected on 3 May 2014 and is housed in the Herbario Universidad de Caldas (FAUC), with an isotype deposited at the Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum (B). The specific epithet chocoensis refers to the Chocó Biogeographic Region where the species was discovered. [2]

Molecular phylogenetics analysis based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region shows that S. chocoensis belongs to a well-supported Neotropical clade within the genus Sulzbacheromyces , alongside S. tutunendo and S. caatingae . These three species form a distinct lineage from their Asian and African relatives, such as S. sinensis and S. miomboensis . [2]

Description

The lichen forms a crust-like (crustose) thallus that grows on soil. The thallus is olive green in colour and relatively thin, measuring between 19 and 58 micrometres (μm) in thickness. It has a compact, uniform structure throughout. The photobiont (the algal partner in the symbiotic relationship) consists of chlorococcoid cells that are either continuous or grouped together, with individual cells measuring 3–6 by 6–11 μm. [2]

Its most distinctive features are the reproductive structures (basidiomata), which appear as reddish-orange to yellowish projections that remain unbranched. These structures measure 4–10 mm in height and 1–2 mm in diameter. A distinctive characteristic is their white base or 'stipe', which measures 0.4–0.6 mm in height. The basidiomata have a spindle-shaped ( fusiform ) to club-like ( clavate ) shape and taper to a point at their tips. [2]

Habitat and distribution

Sulzbacheromyces chocoensis has only been found in its type locality within the Chocó Biogeographic Region of Colombia, specifically near the village of Tutunendo. Unlike its close relative S. tutunendo , which can grow on various substrates , S. chocoensis is strictly terricolous, meaning it grows exclusively on clay soil. The species is found in tropical rainforest environments, where it forms colonies on the forest floor. It is considered sympatric with S. tutunendo, meaning both species occur in the same geographical area, though they occupy slightly different ecological niches due to their substrate preferences. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sticta</i> Genus of lichens

Sticta is a genus of lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in tropical areas, and includes about 114 species. These lichens have a leafy appearance, and are colored brown or black. Sticta species with cyanobacteria as photobionts can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, and due to their relative abundance and high turnover, they contribute appreciably to the rainforest ecosystem. They are commonly called spotted felt lichens.

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

Lepidostromatales is an order of fungi in the class Agaricomycetes. It is the only known order of basidiomycete fungi composed entirely of lichenized members. Morphologically, the fruiting bodies of all species are clavarioid. Six species are known, five of which were described within the span of 2007–2013. Due to its morphological similarity to the genus Multiclavula, its isolated phylogenetic position was not understood until quite recently. The photobionts that have been found in association with members of this group are not known to associate with any other types of lichenized fungi.

Ertzia is a monospecific genus in the family Lepidostromataceae. The sole species is Ertzia akagerae, a basidiolichen. The genus was circumscribed in 2014 by Brendan Hodkinson and Robert Lücking. Ertzia is distinguished from all other lichenized clavarioid fungi by having a microsquamulose thallus that forms contiguous glomerules with a cortex of jigsaw puzzle-shaped cells. Ertzia akagerae grows on soil in the African tropics.

Sulzbacheromyces is a genus of basidiolichens in the family Lepidostromataceae. The genus is distinguished from the other genera of Lepidostromataceae by having an entirely crustose thallus and from Multiclavula (Cantharellales) by having a chlorococcoid photobiont. The type species grows on soil in the neotropics.

Dictyonema hernandezii is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in montane rainforests of Costa Rica and in Colombia, it was described as new to science in 2011. The specific epithet hernandezii honours Venezuelan lichenologist Jesús Hernández.

Cora hirsuta is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in the páramo region near Bogotá at over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) elevation, it was described as new to science in 2011. The lichen, characterised by its distinctively hairy upper surface and smaller lobes, thrives in a variety of habitats, including soil, bryophytes, and as epiphytes on trees.

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Cora gigantea is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking Bibiana Moncada, and Luis Fernando Coca. The specific epithet gigantea refers the large size of the thallus, and indirectly references David Leslie Hawksworth, who the authors describe as "a giant in mycology and lichenology". The lichen occurs in the mountainous cloud forests of Colombia at elevations around 2,500 m (8,200 ft), where it grows on the ground and between bryophyte and lichen mats.

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<i>Pseudocyphellaria hirsuta</i> Species of lichen-forming fungus

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<i>Saxiloba</i> Genus of lichens

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.

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Sulzbacheromyces tutunendo is a species of basidiolichen in the family Lepidostromataceae. It is found in Colombia.

Sulzbacheromyces caatingae is a species of basidiolichen in the family Lepidostromataceae. Discovered in 2012 in northeastern Brazil, it is characterised by its thin green crustose thallus and distinctive orange-pink, club-shaped reproductive structures. The species has a broad ecological amplitude, occurring across different vegetation types from the semi-arid Caatinga to humid Atlantic Forest fragments, where it grows on soil banks and termite nests near forest edges. As the type species of the genus Sulzbacheromyces, it represents a unique evolutionary lineage within the order Lepidostromatales and can be distinguished from similar-looking species by its undifferentiated thallus structure and association with green algae.

References

  1. "Sulzbacheromyces chocoensis Coca, Lücking & B. Moncada". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Coca, Luis Fernando; Lücking, Robert; Moncada, Bibiana (2018). "Two new, sympatric and semi-cryptic species of Sulzbacheromyces (Lichenized Basidiomycota, Lepidostromatales) from the Chocó Biogeographic Region in Colombia". The Bryologist. 121 (3): 297–305. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-121.3.297.