| Variospora thallincola | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Teloschistales |
| Family: | Teloschistaceae |
| Genus: | Variospora |
| Species: | V. thallincola |
| Binomial name | |
| Variospora thallincola (Wedd.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
List
| |
Variospora thallincola is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. [2]
It was formally described as a new species in 1875 by the botanist Hugh Algernon Weddell, who named it Lecanora murorum var. thallincola. [3] Gustaf Einar Du Rietz raised it to species status in 1925, as Caloplaca thallincola. [4] Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred the taxon to the genus Variospora in 2013, following a molecular phylogenetics-based restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae. [5]
Variospora thallincola is characterised by its placoidioid , bright orange thallus that forms closely appressed, circular structures resembling cartwheels, each measuring 3–4 cm in diameter. The thallus features convex, finger-like lobe ends, around 0.3–0.7 mm broad, which lie closely together and are separated by frequently parallel furrows. The central area of the thallus is convex and areolate , and lacks pruina , a powdery or waxy coating. [6]
The species develops apothecia, the fruiting structures, which can be up to 0.8 mm in diameter and are generally scattered across the central area of the thallus. The thalline margin of the apothecia is orange and becomes excluded as they age. The discs of these apothecia are brown-orange in colour and transform from flat to convex over time. Within the apothecia, the paraphyses (sterile filamentous structures) are loose, with some being simple while most fork towards their tips, which are slightly swollen. The ascospores of Variospora thallincola are distinctive for their swollen, lemon-shaped appearance, measuring 11–14 by 8–11 μm with a septum width of 4–5 μm, accounting for half the length of the ascospore. Both the thallus and the apothecia react to a potassium hydroxide (K) spot test by turning purple. [6]
Found on rocky coasts with siliceous stone, Variospora thallincola typically grows in the mesic to submesic-supralittoral zones. It prefers north-facing rock surfaces that are shaded. The lichen is widely distributed, having been reported from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. [6]
Gyalolechia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi belonging to the family Teloschistaceae. It contains 18 species of crustose lichens.
Variospora aegaea is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. First identified from Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, and has since been recorded in Italy and Spain.
Variospora cancarixiticola is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in southeastern Spain, where it grows on cancarixite, a volcanic rock known only to occur in that country.
Calogaya arnoldii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen that is common and widespread in Europe and Asia. It is in the family Teloschistaceae. It was first formally described as a new species in 1876 by Hugh Algernon Weddell, as a species of Lecanora. After being transferred to Caloplaca in 1915, it was considered as a member of that genus for nearly a century. Molecular phylogenetic studies showed Caloplaca to be polyphyletic, and it was divided up into several smaller genera in 2013. Calogaya arnoldii was one of eight species transferred to the newly circumscribed Calogaya by Ulf Arup, Patrik Frödén, and Ulrik Søchting. The lichen is part of a species complex with complicated taxonomy, and in which intermediate phenotypes are frequently observed, making it difficult to reliably distinguish them. Calogaya saxicola is one such similar species, and it has often been confused with C, arnoldii in areas where they co-occur, as the differences between them are subtle.
Variospora flavescens is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is a common, widely distributed species and has been recorded in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Macaronesia.
Solitaria is a fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains a single species, the corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen Solitaria chrysophthalma.
Calogaya alaskensis is a species of crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It was first described as new to science in 2004 by Clifford Wetmore, who placed it in the genus Caloplaca. Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred the taxon to Calogaya in 2013 following a molecular phylogenetics-led restructuring of the Teloschistaceae.
Flavoplaca arcis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose to squamulose (scaley) lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Although widely distributed in Northern, Central, and Western Europe, it is not commmonly encountered.
Leproplaca cirrochroa is a widespread and common species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It grows up to 5 cm across, featuring a placodioid thallus with narrow, finger-like lobes that adhere closely to the surface, showing intricate division and ranging in colour from dirty orange to brownish orange, often with paler, pruinose orange ends.
Elixjohnia gallowayi is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It has a vividly coloured thallus, ranging in hues from bright red to reddish-orange. It is found in Australia.
Cerothallia subluteoalba is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Australia, it was described as a new species in 2009. This species is distinguished by its numerous bright yellow to soft yellow-orange apothecia, tiny spores with slim dividers (septa), and a barely distinguishable thallus that either fades away or grows inside its host.
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.
Xanthocarpia erichansenii is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in southwest Greenland, where it grows on loess among mosses.
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.
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.
Parvoplaca tiroliensis is a species of crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae, and the type species of the genus Parvoplaca. It is widely distributed, and has been recorded growing on a variety of substrates, including moss, dead plant material, and bone.
Polycauliona bolacina, the waxy firedot lichen, is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in western North America.
Flavoplaca kantvilasii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Australia, it was formally described as a new species in 2007.
Flavoplaca arcisproxima is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found primarily in the coastal regions of the Crimean Peninsula and the eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Crete, Greece.
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.