| Varicellaria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Varicellaria rhodocarpa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Pertusariales |
| Family: | Varicellariaceae B.P.Hodk., R.C.Harris & Lendemer ex Lumbsch & Leavitt (2018) |
| Genus: | Varicellaria Nyl. (1858) |
| Type species | |
| Varicellaria microsticta Nyl. (1858) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
Varicellaria is a genus of crustose lichens. It is the only genus in the family Varicellariaceae. [2]
The genus Varicellaria was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1858, with Varicellaria microsticta assigned as the type species. [3] [4]
The family Varicellariaceae, containing only the type genus Varicellaria, was informally proposed by Brendan Hodkinson, Richard Harris, and James Lendemer in 2011. [5] H. Thorsten Lumbsch and Steven Leavitt formally published the family in 2018. [6] However, the taxon was not validly published because "an identifier issued by a recognized repository was not cited in the protologue", contrary to rules of botanical nomenclature. [7] This nomenclatural oversight was rectified later the same year in a separate publication. [8]
Characteristics of the family Varicellariaceae are similar to those of its genus. These are: a crustose thallus, unicellular green algal photobionts from genus Trebouxia , ascomata in the form of disc-like apothecia, non-amyloid gel in the hymenium, strongly amyloid, one- or two-spored asci, and hyaline, thick-walled, one-layered, one- or two-celled ascospores. [6]
Varicellaria species are characterised by a pale bluish-grey or whitish grey thallus, which can be smooth and thin or cracked and thick. They typically have convex soralia that are paler or the same colour as the thallus. Apothecia (fruiting bodies) are rare in these species. [9]
Varicellaria species are associated with green algae from the genus Trebouxia . Specifically, they have been found to associate with Trebouxia sp. OTU A03. [9]
The major secondary metabolite in Varicellaria species is lecanoric acid. Some specimens may also contain variolaric acid, but its presence is not a reliable diagnostic feature for species identification. [9]
Collectively, the species in genus Varicellaria have a cosmopolitan distribution. [4] Varicellaria species show diverse substrate preferences. Some species, like V. hemisphaerica, are primarily corticolous (growing on bark), while others, such as V. lactea, are saxicolous (growing on rocks). These habitat preferences play a crucial role in species delimitation. [9]
Recent molecular phylogenetics studies have helped clarify species boundaries within Varicellaria. These studies have shown that substrate preference and soredia size are important factors in distinguishing between species. Molecular data, combined with morphological and chemical characteristics, have proven essential for accurate species identification. [9]
As of 2024, there are 12 recognised species in the genus Varicellaria: [9]
The Peltigeraceae are a family of lichens in the order Peltigerales. The Peltigeraceae, which contains 15 genera and about 600 species, has recently (2018) been emended to include the families Lobariaceae and Nephromataceae. Many Peltigeraceae species have large and conspicuous, leathery thalli. They largely occur in cool-temperate to tropical montane climates. Tripartite thalli involving fungus, green algae and cyanobacteria are common in this family.
Biatorellaceae is a family of lichen-forming fungi in the subclass Lecanoromycetidae. The family is monotypic, and contains the single genus Biatorella, which contains eight species.
The Teloschistales are an order of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. According to one 2008 estimate, the order contains 5 families, 66 genera, and 1954 species. The predominant photobiont partners for the Teloschistales are green algae from the genera Trebouxia and Asterochloris.
The Pertusariales are an order of fungi in the class Lecanoromycetes, comprising 8 families, 31 genera, and over 600 species, many of which form lichens. This diverse group is characterized by complex taxonomic history and ongoing phylogenetic revisions. Originally proposed by Maurice Choisy in 1949 and later formally published by the lichenologists David L. Hawksworth and Ove Eriksson in 1986, Pertusariales has undergone significant reclassification due to molecular phylogenetics studies. The order includes well-known genera such as Pertusaria and Ochrolechia, as well as families like Megasporaceae and Icmadophilaceae.
The Baeomycetales are an order of mostly lichen-forming fungi in the subclass Ostropomycetidae, in the class Lecanoromycetes. It contains 8 families, 33 genera and about 170 species. As a result of molecular phylogenetics research published in the late 2010s, several orders were folded into the Baeomycetales, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of taxa.
The Graphidaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Graphidales. The family contains nearly a hundred genera and more than 2000 species. Although the family has a cosmopolitan distribution, most Graphidaceae species occur in tropical regions, and typically grow on bark.
The Agyriaceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the order Pertusariales. It contains two genera: Agyrium, and Miltidea. The family was circumscribed by August Carl Joseph Corda in 1838.
Gymnographopsis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Redonographaceae.
Fissurina is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has about 160 species, most of which are found in tropical regions.
Herteliana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi. It contains four species of crustose lichens.
Diploschistes is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. Commonly known as crater lichens, members of the genus are crustose lichens with a thick, cracked (areolate) body (thallus) with worldwide distribution. The fruiting part (apothecia) are immersed in the thick thallus so as to have the appearance of being small "craters". The widespread genus contains about 43 species.
Masonhalea is a genus of two species of lichenized fungi in the family Parmeliaceae.
The Arctomiaceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the Ascomycota, class Baeomycetales. The family was named by Theodor Magnus Fries in 1861, with Arctomia as the type genus. Species in this family are found in arctic and subarctic habitats, usually associated with bryophytes.
Neoprotoparmelia is a genus of crustose lichens that was created in 2018. It contains 24 tropical and subtropical species that mostly grow on bark. Neoprotoparmelia is in the subfamily Protoparmelioideae of the family Parmeliaceae, along with the morphologically similar genera Protoparmelia and Maronina.
Trapeliaceae is a family of lichens in the order Baeomycetales. The family contains 12 genera and about 125 species.
Leprocaulaceae is a family of mostly lichen-forming fungi. It is the single family in the monotypic order Leprocaulales. Leprocaulaceae contains three genera and about 33 species.
The Rhizocarpales are an order of lichen-forming fungi in the subclass Lecanoromycetidae of the class Lecanoromycetes. It has two families, Rhizocarpaceae and Sporastatiaceae, which contain mostly crustose lichens.
Neoprotoparmelia capitata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) and crustose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in eastern North America.
Sarrameanaceae is a family of lichen-forming fungi in the monotypic order Sarrameanales. It contains the genera Loxospora and Sarrameana, the type genus. The genus Chicitaea was proposed in 2024 to contain Loxospora species containing 2'-O-methylperlatolic acid. The family was circumscribed by Josef Hafellner in 1984. The order Sarrameanales was proposed by Brendan Hodkinson and James Lendemer in 2011, as they had noted that previously published large-scale molecular phylogenetic studies had shown that the group of species contained in the family Sarrameanaceae were distinct and separate from the clade containing all of the other orders of the Ostropomycetidae. However, the name Sarrameanales was not validly published according to the rules of botanical nomenclature, because it was not accompanied by a suitable description. Despite this, the order continues to be used in lichenological literature.
Thelenellaceae is a family of lichen-forming fungi. It is the sole family in the monotypic order Thelenellales, and contains three genera and about 50 species.