Vulpicida

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Vulpicida
Vulpicida canadensis 44260.jpg
Vulpicida canadensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Parmeliaceae
Genus: Vulpicida
Mattsson & M.J.Lai (1993)
Type species
Vulpicida juniperinus
(L.) J.-E.Mattsson & M.J.Lai (1993)
Species

V. canadensis
V. juniperinus
V. pinastri
V. viridis

Contents

Vulpicida is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Parmeliaceae. Circumscribed in 1993 to contain species formerly placed in Cetraria , the genus is widespread in Arctic to northern temperate regions, and contains six species. [1] The genus is characterized by the presence of the secondary metabolites pulvinic acid and vulpinic acid, compounds that when combined with usnic acid, give the species their characteristic yellow and green colors.

Taxonomy

The genus was circumscribed by Jan-Eric Mattson and Ming-Jou Lai in a 1993 Mycotaxon publication, to contain yellow species containing vulpinic and pinastric acids and a broadly club-shaped ascus. [2] Mattson published a monograph of the genus later that year. [3] The group of species assigned to the genus were previously recognized as a distinct grouping by Finnish lichenologist Veli Räsänen in 1952, who classified them in the genus Cetraria , subgenus Platysma, section Flavidae, and subsection Cucullatae. [4] The type species is Vulpicida juniperinus, [5] originally Lichen juniperinus as described by Carl Linnaeus in the second volume of his 1753 Species Plantarum . [6]

The generic name Vulpicida is derived from the Latin words vulpes ("fox") and -cida ("who kills"); according to Swedish peasant folklore, the lichen, when consumed, kills foxes but not dogs or wolves. [2]

According to a 2009 molecular analysis using internal transcribed spacer data from five of the six known species, Vulpicida is supported as monophyletic (descended from a common evolutionary ancestor) when using Bayesian analysis. Using a different method for phylogenetic inference, PAUP (phylogenetic analysis using parsimony), the genus is paraphyletic, as Allocetraria nests within the same clade. [7]

Description

The thallus (the vegetative body of the lichen) ranges in form from foliose ("leaf-like", with distinctly formed lobes) and forming rosettes, to somewhat fruticose (branch-like and bushy), with lobes usually dorsiventral with raised tips, sometimes even cylindrical or slightly tapering. The upper thallus surface is bright to dark yellow (resulting from usnic acid), sometimes greenish, often wrinkled or somewhat folded. The lower thallus surface is weakly yellow, with black central parts, and lacks pseudocyphellae (tiny pores on the outer surface). The rhizinae (black hair-like strands that attach the lichen to their substrate) are laminal (originating from all across the thallus surface), almost never close to the margin and rather sparse, and either simple or irregularly branched. [2]

The apothecia (the fruit body of the lichen) are somewhat marginal (positioned on the edge or near the margin) or laminal, and comprise a brown disc with an often finely scalloped edge. The asci (spore-bearing cells) are broadly club-shaped, with a wide ocular chamber (a wide, finger-like protrusion of the epiplasm into the apical region of the ascus), and large axial body. The thallus often has a strong staining reaction in Lugol's solution. Spores are spherical or nearly so, and number eight per ascus. Pycnidia are typically abundant, with either a marginal or laminal arrangement. They are generally conspicuous, black, situated on projections, and raised or immersed. The medulla is yellow to orange (from pinastric and vulpinic acids). The pycnidial wall contains some black pigment. The conidia are somewhat flask-shaped or lemon-shaped. [2] The genus is characterized by the presence of the secondary metabolites pulvinic acid and vulpinic acid, which are derived from the shikimic acid biosynthetic pathway. These compounds, combined with usnic acid, give the species their characteristic yellow and green colors. [7]

Species

There are four species in Vulpicida, after a taxon merge in 2014 [8] . They are all found in arctic or boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. [2]

Originally Cetraria junier var. canadensis, published by Räsänen in 1933. [9]
Originally Lichen juniperinus, published by Linnaeus in 1753. [6]
Composed of previously distinct groups of V. juniperinus, V. tilesii, and V. tubulosis.
Originally Lichen pinastra, published by Scopoli in 1772. [10]
Originally Cetraria viridis, published by Halsey, and attributed to Schweinitz in 1824. [11]
Species
Vulpicida canadensis 159753.jpg Vulpicida pinastri 37905.jpg Vulpicida viridis 83400.jpg Vulpicida tilesii 100308.jpg
V. canadensisV. pinastriV. viridisV. juniperinus complex

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parmeliaceae</span> Family of lichens

The Parmeliaceae is a large and diverse family of Lecanoromycetes. With over 2700 species in 71 genera, it is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi. The most speciose genera in the family are the well-known groups: Xanthoparmelia, Usnea, Parmotrema, and Hypotrachyna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vulpinic acid</span> Chemical compound

Vulpinic acid is a natural product first found in and important in the symbiosis underlying the biology of lichens. It is a simple methyl ester derivative of its parent compound, pulvinic acid, and a close relative of pulvinone, both of which derive from aromatic amino acids such as phenylalanine via secondary metabolism. The roles of vulpinic acid are not fully established, but may include properties that make it an antifeedant for herbivores. The compound is relatively toxic to mammals.

<i>Letharia vulpina</i> Species of lichen

Letharia vulpina, commonly known as the wolf lichen, is a fruticose lichenized species of fungus in the family Parmeliaceae. It is bright yellow-green, shrubby and highly branched, and grows on the bark of living and dead conifers in parts of western and continental Europe and the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains of North America. This species is somewhat toxic to mammals due to the yellow pigment vulpinic acid, and has been used historically as a poison for wolves and foxes. It has also been used traditionally by many native North American ethnic groups as a pigment source for dyes and paints.

<i>Ahtiana</i> Single-species genus of lichen

Ahtiana is a genus of lichenized fungi known as candlewax lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. A monotypic genus, it contains the single species Ahtiana sphaerosporella or the mountain candlewax lichen, found in western North America. This species was segregated from the genus Parmelia by Canadian lichenologist Trevor Goward in a 1985 publication. It had been suggested that the genus include A. aurescens and A. pallidula based on similarities in morphology, but this transfer is not supported by molecular analysis.

<i>Allocetraria</i> Genus of lichens

Allocetraria is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Parmeliaceae. It consists of 12 species, with a center of distribution in China.

<i>Cetrariella</i> Genus of lichen

Cetrariella is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. It contains three species.

Cetreliopsis is a genus of four species of lichens in the family Parmeliaceae.

<i>Tuckermannopsis</i> Genus of lichens

Tuckermannopsis is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae.

<i>Cetrelia</i> Genus of lichens in the family Parmeliaceae

Cetrelia is a genus of leafy lichens in the large family Parmeliaceae. They are commonly known as sea-storm lichens, alluding to the wavy appearance of their lobes. The name of the genus, circumscribed in 1968 by the husband and wife lichenologists William and Chicita Culberson, alludes to the former placement of these species in the genera Cetraria and Parmelia.

<i>Xanthoparmelia</i> Genus of fungi

Xanthoparmelia is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. This genus of lichen is commonly found in the United States, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Ecuador.

<i>Imshaugia</i> Genus of lichens

Imshaugia is a genus of seven species of foliose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. They are commonly known as starburst lichens.

<i>Vulpicida pinastri</i> Species of lichen in the family Parmeliaceae

Vulpicida pinastri is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. The lichen has a greenish-yellow thallus and dorsiventral lobes. It grows on conifers and Betula in North America and Eurasia. It is the only sorediate species in the genus and is distinguished by the bright-yellow marginal soralia. The lichen, originally described by Italian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1772, was transferred to the newly circumscribed genus Vulpicida by Jan-Eric Mattson and Ming-Jou Lai in 1993.

<i>Usnea fulvoreagens</i> Species of lichen in the family Parmeliaceae

Usnea fulvoreagens is a species of beard lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It was first described by Finnish lichenologist Veli Räsänen in 1931 as a variety of Usnea glabrescens. He raised it to distinct species status in 1935. The lichen has a shrubby thallus that is richly branched, and bases that are blackened. The presence of norstictic acid is often used to differentiate this species from other similar species. It has a widespread distribution in Europe.

<i>Usnocetraria</i> Genus of lichen

Usnocetraria is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Parmeliaceae. It contains two species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichens.

Allocetraria corrugata is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in high-elevation locations in Yunnan, China, where it grows on rocks with mosses.

<i>Parmelia fraudans</i> Species of lichen

Parmelia fraudans is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in Europe and North America, where it grows on rocks.

<i>Chrysothrix chlorina</i> Species of lichen

Chrysothrix chlorina, the sulphur dust lichen, is a species of leprose (powdery) crustose lichen in the family Chrysotrichaceae. Originally described scientifically by the Swedish lichenologist Erik Acharius over 200 years ago, it has been shuffled to many different genera in its taxonomic history before finally being transferred to Chrysothrix in 1981. The lichen has a circumboreal distribution, meaning it occurs in northern boreal regions across the planet. It is typically saxicolous (rock-dwelling), particularly on the underside of rock overhangs, but has in rare instances been recorded growing on bark and various other surfaces.

<i>Tuckermannopsis orbata</i> Species of lichen

Tuckermannopsis orbata, commonly known as the variable wrinkle lichen, is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is a small cetrarioid lichen, an informal growth form category that denotes lichens with erect, foliose thalli, and apothecia and pycnidia on the margins of the ruffled lobes. Tuckermannopsis orbata is found in Asia and North America, growing primarily on the wood and bark of mostly birch and coniferous tree branches and twigs.

<i>Arctoparmelia incurva</i> Species of lichen

Arctoparmelia incurva is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. First described in 1794 by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, it has undergone several taxonomic reclassifications before being placed in its current genus in 1986. This yellowish-green lichen, characterised by its narrow, convex lobes and globular soralia, typically grows on sun-exposed siliceous rocks in alpine and arctic habitats. It has a circumpolar distribution, found across North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. A. incurva can be distinguished from similar species by its specific morphological features and chemical spot test reactions. The lichen is known to host several parasitic fungi and has shown tolerance to acid pollution.

<i>Vulpicida juniperinus</i> Species of lichen

Vulpicida juniperinus is a species of lichen found in the Northern Hemisphere, commonly known as Rock Sunshine lichen. This species is characterized by its bright yellow, coral-like growth form on exposed ground, often in Arctic or alpine areas.

References

  1. ↑ Kirk PM, Cannon PF, Minter DW, Stalpers JA (2008). Dictionary of the Fungi (10th ed.). Wallingford, UK: CAB International. p. 727. ISBN   978-0851998268.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mattsson JE, Lai MJ (1993). "Vulpicida, a new genus in Parmeliaceae (lichenized ascomycetes)". Mycotaxon. 46: 425–8.
  3. ↑ Mattson J-E. (1993). "A monograph of the genus Vulpicida (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycetes)". Nordic Journal of Botany. 13 (4): 5–61. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1993.tb00084.x.
  4. ↑ Räsänen V. (1952). "Studies of the species of the lichen genera Cornicularia, Cetraria and Nephromopsis". Kuopion Luonnon Ystäväin Yhdistyksen Julkaisuja B. 2 (6): 1–53.
  5. ↑ "Vulpicida J.-E. Mattsson & M.J. Lai 1993". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  6. 1 2 Linnaeus C. (1753). Species Plantarum (in Latin). Vol. 2. Stockholm, Sweden: Impensis Laurentii Salvii. p. 1147.
  7. 1 2 Thell A, HöGnabba F, Elix JA, Feuerer T, Kärnefelt I, Myllys L, Randlane T, Saag A, Stenroos S, Ahti T, Seaward MRD (2009). "Phylogeny of the cetrarioid core (Parmeliaceae) based on five genetic markers". The Lichenologist. 41 (5): 489–511. doi:10.1017/S0024282909990090. hdl: 1885/51099 . S2CID   84592469.
  8. ↑ Saag, Lauri; Mark, Kristiina; Saag, Andres; Randlane, Tiina (December 2014). "Species delimitation in the lichenized fungal genus Vulpicida (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) using gene concatenation and coalescent-based species tree approaches". American Journal of Botany. 101 (12): 2169–2182. doi:10.3732/ajb.1400439. ISSN   0002-9122. PMID   25480713.
  9. ↑ Räsänen V. (1933). "Contribution to the lichen flora of North America". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 20 (1): 7–21. doi:10.2307/2394419. JSTOR   2394419. S2CID   84511217.
  10. ↑ Scopoli JA. (1772). Flora carniolica (in Latin). Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Vienna, Austria: J.P. Krauss. p. 382.
  11. ↑ Halsey A. (1824). "Synotpical view of the lichens growing in the vicinity of the city of New York". Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York. 1: 3–21 (see p. 16).
  12. Acharius E. (1814). Synopsis Methodica Lichenum (in Latin). Lundin, Sweden: Svanborg et Soc. p. 228.
  13. Schaerer LE. (1836). Lichenum Helveticorum Spicilegium. Pars 1. Vol. 7. Bern, Switzerland: A. Haller. pp. 320–81.
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