Transdrakea

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Transdrakea
Transdrakea alacalufes.png
Transdrakea alacalufes; scale bar = 2 mm
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Teloschistales
Family: Teloschistaceae
Genus: Transdrakea
Søchting & Arup (2023)
Type species
Transdrakea alacalufes
Søchting, Sancho & Arup (2023)
Species

T. alacalufes
T. schofieldii

Transdrakea is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. [1] It comprises two species of crustose lichens that grow on rocks. The genus is characterised by its poorly developed thallus, zeorine apothecia (fruiting bodies), and small ascospores with thin septa. Chemically, Transdrakea species contain anthraquinones, particularly parietin.

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus was circumscribed in 2023 by the lichenologists Ulrik Søchting and Ulf Arup. The genus name alludes to its distribution on both sides of the Drake Passage, which separates South America from Antarctica. [2] Transdrakea is closely related to the genus Gondwania , with both genera belonging to a clade of predominantly Southern Hemisphere taxa within the subfamily Xanthorioideae of the family Teloschistaceae. Molecular phylogenetic analyses place Transdrakea as sister to Gondwania, with both genera forming a well-supported clade distinct from other related genera such as Austroplaca and Cerothallia . [2]

Description

Transdrakea lichens are characterised by their crustose growth form, meaning they grow closely adhered to their substrate , typically rocks. The thallus, which is the main body of the lichen, is poorly developed and often inconspicuous. The most prominent features of Transdrakea are its reproductive structures, the apothecia. These are small, disc -shaped fruiting bodies that contain the fungal spores. In Transdrakea, the apothecia are zeorine , which means they have two distinct margins: an inner proper margin composed of fungal tissue, and an outer thalline margin that contains algal cells. The apothecia are typically yellow to orange in colour and can be up to 0.4 mm in diameter. [2]

Under a microscope, the internal structure of the apothecia reveals several features. The hymenium, the spore-producing layer, is relatively thin at 50–60  μm high. The paraphyses, sterile filaments between the spore-producing cells, are simple or slightly branched at the tips and only slightly enlarged at their apices. The ascospores , which are the reproductive spores produced in sacs called asci, are a key diagnostic feature of Transdrakea. They are relatively small, typically measuring around 10–11 μm long by 4–5 μm wide. A distinctive characteristic is their very thin septum, the internal wall that divides the spore into two cells, which is usually only about 1.5 μm thick. [2]

Chemically, Transdrakea lichens contain anthraquinone pigments, with parietin being the dominant compound. This places them in what lichenologists refer to as chemosyndrome  A, a classification based on the proportions of different anthraquinones present in the lichen. [2]

Species

Two species are recognised in Transdrakea: [2]

The two Transdrakea species can be distinguished by their growth patterns and geographical distributions. T. alacalufes typically has numerous, dispersed apothecia, while T. schofieldii tends to have apothecia aggregated in rock crevices. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Athallia</i> Genus of lichens

Athallia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It was circumscribed in 2013 by Ulf Arup, Patrik Frödén, and Ulrik Søchting, and the type species is Athallia holocarpa. The genus name means "without a thallus".

Sirenophila is a genus of crustose lichens in the subfamily Teloschistoideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species with an Australasian distribution.

Amundsenia austrocontinentalis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae, and the type species of genus Amundsenia. Found in Antarctica, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by Isaac Garrido-Benavent, Ulrik Søchting, Sergio Pérez-Ortega, and Rod Seppelt. The type specimen was collected by the last author from Mule Peninsula, where it was found growing on small stones in glacial till. The species epithet austrocontinentalis refers to its distribution in continental Antarctica.

<i>Wetmoreana</i> Genus of lichens

Wetmoreana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It comprises 15 formally described species, one subspecies, and three undescribed species of crustose or squamulose that are predominantly saxicolous (rock-dwelling). The genus is characterized by its distinct lobes, orange zeorine apothecia when present, and the frequent occurrence of asexual propagules such as schizidia, isidia, or soredia. A key diagnostic feature is the presence of calcium oxalate crystals in the thallus medulla of many species.

<i>Lacrima</i> (fungus) Genus of lichen-forming fungi

Lacrima is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has four saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose species.

Elixjohnia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens that occur in Australasia.

<i>Obscuroplaca</i> Genus of lichen-forming fungi

Obscuroplaca is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains three species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens.

<i>Gondwania</i> Genus of lichens

Gondwania is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the subfamily Xanthorioideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It comprises five species of crustose lichens.

Solitaria is a fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains a single species, the corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen Solitaria chrysophthalma.

Usnochroma is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has two species of crustose lichens. The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by lichenologists Ulrik Søchting, Ulf Arup, and Patrik Frödén, with Usnochroma carphineum assigned as the type species. The genus name refers to the yellowish-green colour of the thallus, which is caused by the substance usnic acid. Usnochroma species occur in Macaronesia, South Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, and Algeria.

Charcotiana is a single-species genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains the species Charcotiana antarctica, a crustose lichen found in Antarctica.

Sirenophila maccarthyi is a species of corticolous/lignicolous, crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It has a thallus that is whitish or greyish, often inconspicuous and not always continuous, which can appear darker or dirty grey near its numerous, clustered apothecia. Sirenophila maccarthyi is distributed across regions including Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and New Zealand, in both coastal and inland habitats. It typically grows on the bark and dead wood of a wide range of trees and shrubs such as Acacia sophorae, Araucaria excelsa, and various Eucalyptus species.

<i>Flavoplaca austrocitrina</i> Species of lichen

Flavoplaca austrocitrina is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is widely distributed in Europe, and has also been recorded in South America.

<i>Flavoplaca maritima</i> Species of lichen

Flavoplaca maritima is a species of crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in costal areas of Northern, Western, and Southern Europe. It mostly occurs on rocks, but has also been recorded growing on wood.

<i>Flavoplaca oasis</i> Species of lichen

Flavoplaca oasis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is widely distributed across Europe, and has been reported in Western Asia, China, and North Africa.

<i>Kuettlingeria soralifera</i> Species of lichen

Kuettlingeria soralifera is a saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen species in the family Teloschistaceae, first described in 2006. It is similar to Kuettlingeria xerica but distinguished by the presence of soredia on its thallus.

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.

Scutaria is a single-species fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains the species Scutaria andina, found in South America. The thallus of this lichen has a form that is intermediate between crustose and foliose.

<i>Kuettlingeria neotaurica</i> Species of lichen

Kuettlingeria neotaurica is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae.

Elenkiniana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species, all of which occur in Eurasia.

References

  1. ↑ "Transdrakea". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Søchting, Ulrik; Sancho, Leo Garcia; Arup, Ulf (2023). "The lichen genera Gondwania and Transdrakea gen. nov. (Teloschistaceae) – speciation in three southern continents". Plant and Fungal Systematics. 68 (2): 304–319. doi: 10.35535/pfsyst-2023-0015 .
  3. ↑ Dodge, C.W. (1968). "Lichenological notes on the flora of the Antarctic continent and the subantarctic islands. VII.-VIII". Nova Hedwigia. 15: 285–332.
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