Vahliella

Last updated

Vahliella
Vahliella leucophaea 235439.jpg
Vahliella leucophaea
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Peltigerales
Family: Vahliellaceae
Wedin, P.M.Jørg. & S.Ekman (2010)
Genus: Vahliella
P.M.Jørg. (2008)
Type species
Vahliella leucophaea
(Vahl) P.M.Jørg. (2008)
Species

V. adnata
V. atlantica
V. californica
V. globigera
V. hookerioides
V. isidioidea
V. labrata
V. leucophaea
V. saubinetii

Contents

Vahliella is a genus of nine species of lichen-forming fungi in the order Peltigerales. It is the only member of Vahliellaceae, a family circumscribed in 2010 to contain this genus. [1] Vahliella was formerly placed in the family Pannariaceae until molecular phylogenetics showed that it did not belong there. Vahliella species are found in the Northern Hemisphere – mainly in North America, but also in Europe and India.

Vahliella species somewhat resemble those of the genus Fuscopannaria – in which they were originally classified – but are distinguished from them by the layered apical amyloid sheets of the asci, the lack of lichen substances, and the absence of an epispore.

Taxonomy

Vahliella was circumscribed by Norwegian botanist Per Magnus Jørgensen in 2008. It was created to contain species formerly placed in the subgenus Micropannaria of Fuscopannaria , [2] a genus erected by Jørgensen in 1994. Micropannaria contained two species that differed mainly in the apical apparatus, where they featured amyloid sheets rather than a ring structure. At the time, Jørgensen did not believe that this distinguishing character was sufficiently different to justify these species being placed in a new genus. [3] The type species of subgenus Micropannaria, Fuscopannaria leucophaea, was later shown in several phylogenetic studies to lie outside of the Fuscopannaria, and also outside family Pannariaceae, which was shown to be polyphyletic. [4] [5] [6] [7] To meet the need for a new familial placement of Vahliella, Mats Wedin, Jørgensen, and Stefan Ekman created the Vahliellaceae in 2010. Phylogenetically, Vahliellaceae is sister to a clade that contains Lobariaceae, Massalongiaceae, Nephromataceae, and Peltigeraceae. [1]

The generic name Vahliella honours Norwegian botanist Martin Vahl (1749–1804), who was first to describe scientifically the type species of this genus. [2]

Description

Family

In its Latin circumscription, Vahliellaceae is defined by its differences from the Pannariaceae: the absence of lichen substances, a poorly developed thalline margin , and the amyloid apical layers. [1]

Distinctions are also made between Vahliellaceae and other closely related families, the Peltigeraceae, Nephromataceae, and Lobariaceae. Peltigeraceae has a distinctive apical tube, while Nephromataceae lacks an amyloid apical structure. Lobariaceae has an indistinct amyloid layer, dissimilar to the structure in Vahliellaceae. Massalongiaceae contains squamulose members (i.e., covered with tiny scales) that resemble the Vahliellaceae, but Massalongiaceae lack the distinct bluish-black hypothallus characteristic of some Vahliellaceae species. [1]

Genus

Vahliella species are characterized by a squamulose thallus that is typically greyish-brownish in colour. They have sessile apothecia with a variable thalline exciple, which in some apothecia is not at all developed, and with a likewise variable but always present proper margin. The hymenium is hemiamyloid (meaning it takes on a purplish-grey colour when treated with Melzer's reagent), and contains unbranched, septate paraphyses that have pigmented tips. The asci are 8-spored with sheet-like apical structures that are persistently blue-green when stained with iodine. The ascospores of Vahliella lichens are non-septate, with an ellipsoid shape; they do not have an epispore, but often have internal oil droplets. [2]

Vahliella species do not have any reactions with lichen spot tests, and do not produce secondary compounds detectable with thin layer chromatography. [2]

Habitat and distribution

Vahliella atlantica, in Serra de Sao Mamede, Portugal Fuscopannaria atlantica 411886.jpg
Vahliella atlantica , in Serra de São Mamede, Portugal

Most species of Vahliella are found in cool-temperate to arctic regions of Europe and North America, with an outlier in the mountains of India. Vahliella is a mainly saxicolous (rock-inhabiting) genus that has adapted to rather extreme habitats on maritime coasts (two species) and arctic-alpine or desert conditions. Only one species, V. saubinetii, is mainly corticolous (bark-inhabiting) and tends to be more warm-temperate (Mediterranean). [2] The most recently described species, Vahliella isidioidea, grows on consolidated soil in the laurel forest of the Canary Islands. [8]

Species

As of July 2023, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts nine species of Vahliella: [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cladoniaceae</span> Family of fungi

The Cladoniaceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the order Lecanorales. It is one of the largest families of lichen-forming fungi, with about 560 species distributed amongst 17 genera. The reindeer moss and cup lichens (Cladonia) belong to this family. The latter genus, which comprises about 500 species, forms a major part of the diet of large mammals in taiga and tundra ecosystems. Many Cladoniaceae lichens grow on soil, but other can use decaying wood, tree trunks, and, in a few instances, rocks as their substrate. They grow in places with high humidity, and cannot tolerate aridity.

<i>Lobaria</i> Genus of lichens

Lobaria is a genus of foliose lichens, formerly classified in the family Lobariaceae, but now placed in the Peltigeraceae. They are commonly known as "lung wort" or "lungmoss" as their physical shape somewhat resembles a lung, and their ecological niche is similar to that of moss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pannariaceae</span> Family of fungi

The Pannariaceae are a family of lichens in the order Peltigerales. Species from this family have a widespread distribution, but are especially prevalent in southern temperate regions.

<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.

<i>Fuscopannaria</i> Genus of lichens

Fuscopannaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. It has 55 species.

Leciophysma is a genus of cyanolichens in the family Pannariaceae. It has four species. The genus was circumscribed by Theodor Magnus Fries in 1865, with Leciophysma finmarkicum assigned as the type species.

<i>Lepidocollema</i> Genus of lichens

Lepidocollema is a genus of lichens in the family Pannariaceae. It was circumscribed in 1890 to contain a single Brazilian species that has not been collected since. In 2016, the entire family was revised and updated, resulting in the expansion of Lepidocollema to 24 tropical species.

Lepidocollema wainioi is a species of lichen in the family Pannariaceae. It is known from southeast Asia.

Steineropsis laceratula is a species of crustose placodioid lichen in the family Pannariaceae. It was first formally described in 1902 by French lichenologist Auguste-Marie Hue as Pannaria laceratula. Per Magnus Jørgensen proposed a transfer to Fuscopannaria in 1994. The taxon shuffled genera again in 2020 by Toby Spribille and Stefan Ekman after molecular phylogenetic analysis of the DNA from specimens collected in Alaska revealed its correct classification in the genus Steineropsis. The type specimen was collected in 1904 from Hakkoda, Japan, at an elevation of 1,200 m (3,900 ft); here the lichen was found growing on the bark of birch, but the species also grows on rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massalongiaceae</span> Genus of lichens

Massalongiaceae is a small family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Peltigerales. It has three genera and seven species.

<i>Lepidocollema marianum</i> Species of lichen

Lepidocollema marianum is a species of cyanolichen in the family Pannariaceae. It was first scientifically described by Elias Fries in 1825 as Parmelia mariana. Per Magnus Jørgensen transferred it to the genus Lepidocollema in 2014 following a molecular phylogenetics-guided revision of the Pannariaceae.

Nevesia is a monotypic genus of lichenized fungus in the family Pannariaceae. It contains the species Nevesia sampaiana. The genus name honors Carlos das Neves Tavares, the Portuguese lichenologist who first identified the species in 1950.

<i>Rostania</i> Genus of lichens

Rostania is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Collemataceae. These lichens are primarily found on tree bark, occasionally on wood, with one species known to inhabit soil. The genus is characterized morphologically by having minute thalli made of hyphal tissue without a separate cortex, and the more or less cuboid-shaped ascospores.

Fuscopannaria hirsuta is a species of squamulose (scaley), corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Pannariaceae. Found in China, it was formally described as a new species in 2004 by Norwegian lichenologist Per Magnus Jørgensen. The type specimen was collected from the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains in Tibet at an elevation of 2,500 m (8,200 ft), where it was found growing on Salix bark. It has also been recorded growing on Juniperus bark. The species epithet hirsuta refers to the hairy upper thallus surface, the first in genus Fuscopannaria with this characteristic.

<i>Crocodia</i> Genus of fungi

Crocodia is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. It has eight species. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, although most species occur in temperate and tropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The main characteristics of the genus that separate it from its parent genus, Pseudocyphellaria, include a yellow medulla and yellow pseudocyphellae on the lower thallus surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collematineae</span> Suborder of fungi

The Collematineae are an suborder of rust fungi in the order of Peltigerales in the class Lecanoromycetes.

Fuscopannaria dispersa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), squamulose lichen in the family Pannariaceae. It is found in China, where it grows on the bark of several tree species at an elevation range from 3,650 to 4,300 m, close to the forest limit. It was formally described as a new species in 2000 by Norwegian lichenologist Per Magnus Jørgensen. The type specimen was collected by Joseph Rock from the eastern slopes of Likang Snow Range in 1922, and has since been documented in a few locations in eastern China. The lichen has a brown thallus made of small squamules spread out over a distinct black prothallus. Its ascospores are ellipsoid, colourless, lack septa, and measure 15–17 by 9–10 μm. Fuscopannaria dispersa is similar to the more widespread F. leucosticta, but can be distinguished from that species by the squamulose form of its thallus and by its smaller, rounder ascospores.

Fuscopannaria dissecta is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), squamulose lichen in the family Pannariaceae. Found in Japan, it was formally described as a new species in 2000 by Norwegian lichenologist Per Magnus Jørgensen. The type specimen was collected by Syo Kurokawa from Mount Kōya at an altitude of 800 m (2,600 ft); there it was found growing on the rotting bark of trees. The lichen has a pale brown thallus that forms irregular patches comprising squamules that about are about 2 mm wide. The squamules are dissected–cut deeply into fine lobes–and it is this character that is referenced in the species epithet dissecta.

Fuscopannaria saltuensis is a species of ground-dwelling, squamulose lichen in the family Pannariaceae. It is found in both the Eastern and Western Himalayas, where it grows on soil in open mountain forests with pastures and cliffs.

<i>Fuscopannaria leucosticta</i> Species of lichen

Fuscopannaria leucosticta, commonly known as the rimmed shingle lichen, is a species of lichen in the family Pannariaceae. It has a squamulose (scaley) thallus that lacks soredia and isidia, but has abundant apothecia with distinct white rims. Although its main centres of distribution are eastern North America and southeast Asia, where it grows in damp forests, it has been reported from various other high-altitude, humid locations.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Wedin, Mats; Jørgensen, Per Magnus; Ekman, Stefan (2010). "Vahliellaceae, a new family of cyanobacterial lichens (Peltigerales, Ascomycetes)". The Lichenologist. 43 (1): 67–72. doi:10.1017/S0024282910000642. S2CID   85911722.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Jørgensen, Per M. (2008). "Vahliella, a new lichen genus". The Lichenologist. 40 (3): 221–225. doi:10.1017/S0024282908007780. S2CID   84301009.
  3. ↑ Jørgensen, P.M. (1994). "Studies in the Pannariaceae VI. The taxonomy and phytogeography of Pannaria Del. s. lat". Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory. 76: 197–206. doi:10.18968/jhbl.76.0_197.
  4. ↑ Ekman, Stefan; Jørgensen, Per Magnus (2002). "Towards a molecular phylogeny for the lichen family Pannariaceae (Lecanorales, Ascomycota)". Canadian Journal of Botany. 80 (6): 625–634. doi:10.1139/b02-043.
  5. ↑ Wedin, M.; Wiklund, E. (2004). "The phylogenetic relationships of Lecanorales suborder Peltigerineae revisited". Symbolae Botanicae Upsalienses. 34 (1): 469–475.
  6. ↑ Wedin, Mats; Jørgensen, Per Magnus; Wiklund, Elisabeth (2007). "Massalongiaceae fam. nov., an overlooked monophyletic group among the cyanobacterial lichens (Peltigerales, Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota)". The Lichenologist. 39 (1): 61–67. doi:10.1017/S002428290700655X. S2CID   86749909.
  7. ↑ Högnabba, Filip; Stenroos, Soili; Thell, Arne; Myllys, Leena (2009). "Evolution of cyanobacterial symbioses in Ascomycota". In Aptroot, André; Seaward, Mark R.D.; Sparrius, Laurens B. (eds.). Biodiversity and Ecology of Lichens: Liber Amicorum Harrie Sipman. Bibliotheca Lichenologica. Vol. 99. Berlin, Stuttgart: Cramer. pp. 163–184. ISBN   978-3-443-58078-0.
  8. 1 2 Pérez-Vargas, Israel Pérez-Vargas; Hernández-Padrón, Consuelo; De Paz, P.L.Pérez; Van den Boom, P.P.G.; Jørgensen, P.M. (2014). "A new species in the lichen genus Vahliella from the Canary Islands, including a key to Vahliellaceae, Pannariaceae, and Coccocarpiaceae in Macaronesia". Phytotaxa. 167 (2): 183–188. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.167.2.4.
  9. ↑ Species Fungorum. "Vahliella". Catalogue of Life . Retrieved 1 July 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.