| Sulzbacheromyces miomboensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Lepidostromatales |
| Family: | Lepidostromataceae |
| Genus: | Sulzbacheromyces |
| Species: | S. miomboensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sulzbacheromyces miomboensis De Kesel & Ertz (2017) | |
Sulzbacheromyces miomboensis is a species of basidiolichen in the family Lepidostromataceae. [1] Found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as was described as new to science in 2017.
The lichen was described as a new species in 2017 by André De Kesel and Damien Ertz, from specimens collected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The specific epithet miomboensis refers to the miombo forests where the species was discovered. This species represents the first record of the genus Sulzbacheromyces from Africa. It is most closely related to S. caatingae from South America, though they differ in several microscopic features. While S. caatingae occasionally has specialised fungal connections called clamp connections, these are consistently absent in S. miomboensis. Additionally, S. miomboensis produces larger spores. Unlike other African basidiolichens such as Ertzia akagerae and Lepidostroma rugaramae , which have scale-like growths, S. miomboensis forms a simple crust. [2]
The organism forms a thin, barely noticeable crust containing single-celled green algae that have multiple chloroplasts and a large oil-containing body. Its most distinctive features are the upright fruiting bodies, which are club-shaped—narrow at the base and widening towards the tip. These structures reach 2–4.2 cm in height and are deep orange to reddish-orange in colour, except for their whitish-orange base. When dried, they become pale orange or orange-white, often with a pinkish tinge. The fruiting bodies have shallow lengthwise grooves and are hollow when mature. Under the microscope, they show a complex internal structure of fungal threads (hyphae) arranged in distinct layers, producing transparent, elongated spores. [2]
Sulzbacheromyces miomboensis is currently known only from the Haut-Katanga Province of the DRC, where it is common in its preferred habitat. The species appears in areas with a strongly seasonal climate, characterised by a dry season from May to September/October and a rainy season from November to April, during which rainfall averages 1,240 mm per year. The fruiting bodies emerge halfway through the rainy season, growing on compacted, iron-rich soil, often along dirt roads. These sites are typically very exposed to sun, hot, and have little other vegetation. When conditions are suitable, hundreds of fruiting bodies can appear together, covering several square metres. [2]
The Arthoniaceae are a family of lichenized, lichenicolous and saprobic fungi in the order Arthoniales. The Arthoniaceae is the largest family of Arthoniales, with around 800 species. Most species in Arthoniaceae belong in Arthonia which is the largest genus with 500 species. The second and third largest genus is Arthothelium with 80 species, and Cryptothecia with 60 species.
Verrucariales is an order of ascomycetous fungi within the subclass Chaetothyriomycetidae of the class Eurotiomycetes. Although most of the Verrucariales are lichenised, the family Sarcopyreniaceae consists of 11 species of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi.
Multiclavula is a genus of basidiolichens in the family Hydnaceae. The widespread genus contains 14 species. The genus was circumscribed by the American mycologist Ron Petersen in 1967, with Multiclavula corynoides assigned as the type species.
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.
Lepidostroma is a genus in the family Lepidostromataceae. The genus is distinguished from all other lichenized clavarioid fungi by having a distinctly squamulose thallus with scattered to dense rounded to reniform squamules. Four species are known from the tropics of Africa and the Americas.
Porina gryseelsiana is a species of foliicolous lichen belonging to the family Porinaceae. It was discovered in Orientale Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the leaves of understorey plants in a tropical rainforest. It was subsequently described as new to science in 2014. It is a rare species which is only known from this one collection.
Lichenomphalia tasmanica is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is found in Tasmania, Australia. It has a bright scaley thallus that grows like a green crust on rich soil between rocks. Occasionally. the lichen produces small, bright yellow-orange mushroom-like fruiting bodies.
Phylloblastia verheyeniana is a species of foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) lichen in the family Verrucariaceae. Found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by Dries Van den Broeck, Robert Lücking, and Damien Ertz. The type specimen was collected by the first author at the Lomami River at an altitude of 487 m (1,598 ft). It is only known to occur in the Congo Basin, where it grows on the leaves of understory plants and shrubs. The species epithet honours Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium zoologist Erik Verheyen.
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.
Multiclavula mucida is a globally distributed species of basidiolichen belonging to the family Hydnaceae. Since its initial classification by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon in 1797, the species has been described under various synonyms and associated with multiple genera. Persoon described its fruiting bodies as gregarious, varying from simple to branching structures, predominantly whitish in colour with yellow to brownish tips. He also noted its frequent appearance in autumn on decaying, moist wood, often covered with a greenish crust necessary for its growth.
Cryptophaea is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Arthoniaceae. Initially described as a monotypic genus in 2016 with the type species, C. phaeospora, from the Congo Basin, it was expanded in 2024 to include four species of crustose lichens found in Brazil. Cryptophaea species are characterised by their firmly attached thalli, which are typically whitish grey-green and hydrophobic. The genus has diverse morphological features, including pseudoisidia and soredia in some species. Cryptophaea lichens are corticolous, growing on tree bark in various tropical forest ecosystems, from near sea level to elevations over 1000 metres. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have revealed complex relationships between Cryptophaea and other genera within Arthoniaceae, suggesting potential taxonomic revisions may be necessary as more data becomes available.
Microtheliopsis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Microtheliopsidaceae. It comprises four species of foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) crustose lichens.
Sulzbacheromyces bicolor is a species of basidiolichen in the family Lepidostromataceae. It occurs in Yunnan, China.
Sulzbacheromyces fossicola is a species of basidiolichen in the family Lepidostromataceae. First described in 1950 by E. J. H. Corner as Clavaria fossicola, it is characterised by its dark green to indigo blue crusty growth form and distinctive white, club-shaped fruiting bodies that turn beige when dried. The species forms a thin layer on soil or rocks, where it lives in symbiosis with microscopic green algae. It is distributed across tropical and subtropical Asia, from India to Singapore, where it specifically grows on exposed yellow and red clay soils in shaded locations. The species was transferred to Sulzbacheromyces in 2017 based on molecular and morphological evidence.
Sulzbacheromyces sinensis is a species of basidiolichen in the family Lepidostromataceae. It is found in Asia.
Sulzbacheromyces yunnanensis is a species of basidiolichen in the family Lepidostromataceae. It is found in Yunnan, China.
Sulzbacheromyces chocoensis is a species of soil-dwelling basidiolichen in the family Lepidostromataceae. 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.
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.