Neosergipea

Last updated

Neosergipea
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Arthoniomycetes
Order: Arthoniales
Family: Roccellaceae
Genus: Neosergipea
M.Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot (2016)
Type species
Neosergipea aurata
(M.Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot) Lücking, M.C.Gut. & B.Moncada (2016)
Species

N. aurata
N. bicolor
N. hyphosa
N. septoconidiata

Synonyms [1]
  • SergipeaM.Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot (2013)

Neosergipea is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellaceae. [2] It has four species, [3] all of which are corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens that are found in the tropical forests of Brazil. This genus is related to the genera Dichosporidium , Enterographa , and Erythrodecton . It distinguishes itself through unique morphological characteristics and certain chemical constituents, in particular, its non- carbonised ascomata and the presence of a vivid orange anthraquinone compound.

Contents

Taxonomy

The type species of the genus, Neosergipea aurata, was found in Areia Branca, Sergipe (northeastern Brazil), during ecological studies on epiphytic crustose lichens. [4] The original name of the genus, Sergipea, was derived from this location. It was later found, however, that this name had been previously used for a genus of fossil pollen, requiring a new name for this lichen genus. As a result, the replacement name Neosergipea was introduced. [5]

Neosergipea is a part of the family Roccellaceae and finds its place in the phylogenetic tree close to the genera Dichosporidium and Erythrodecton . The tree reveals that Neosergipea is strongly associated with the genus Enterographa , sharing characteristics such as the presence of an anthraquinone. However, Sergipea differed in several respects from both these genera, particularly by the firm, not byssoid thallus, the absence of ascoma carbonization , and the ascospore type. [4] [5] An updated phylogenetic analysis including all available mitochondrial DNA sequence data showed Neosergipea as a sister genus to Dichosporidium, with Erythrodecton as the basal genus in the clade. [5] Dichosporidium appeared to include two distinct entities (genera or subgenera), one with D. nigrocinctum and the other with D. boschianum and D. brunnthaleri. [5]

Description

The thallus of Neosergipea is crustose and closely follows the bark surface. It is dull and pale greenish-grey, very thin, and interspersed with a slightly byssoid hypothallus . The ascomata is approximately 0.1 mm in diameter and is not carbonised. Its excipulum is hyaline, and the epihymenium has pale brown internal pigmentation and external orange crystals. The asci are cylindrical to clavate (club-shaped), measuring 73–89 by 21–27  μm. [4]

Neosergipea is recognised by its non- carbonised ascomata immersed in stromata – structures that exhibit a bright orange colour due to the presence of an anthraquinone. Its ascospores have between 7 and 9 septa, are narrowly clavate and thick-walled with elongated lumina , and typically have dimensions of 35–40 by 5–6 μm. [4]

The lichen's chemical composition includes lichexanthone in the thallus and an unidentified anthraquinone in the stromata, similar to parietin in terms of its Rf-value and KOH-reaction. [4]

Habitat and distribution

Neosergipea is known to grow on the smooth bark of trees in Caatinga forest, a unique semi-arid biome in northeastern Brazil. To date, this lichen genus has only been reported from Brazil. It often grows alongside the similarly endemic species Enterographa subquassiaecola . The original species of the genus, Neosergipea aurata, was discovered in a remnant of Atlantic transition forest in Sergipe, Brazil. [4]

Species

Following the initial discovery of Neosergipea aurata, three other species have been identified within the genus. Each of these possesses the defining characteristics of Neosergipea, such as a crustose thallus, non-carbonised ascomata, and the presence of an orange anthraquinone, but they also display unique features.

Related Research Articles

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

The Roccellaceae are a family of fungi in the order Arthoniomycetes. Most taxa are lichenized with green algae, although some are lichenicolous, growing on other lichens.

<i>Cryptothecia</i> Genus of lichens

Cryptothecia is a genus of white to greenish crustose lichens that grow on bark, wood, or leaves. in tropical or subtropical areas worldwide. It has a conspicuous prothallus that develops around its periphery which can be bright red in some species, hence the common name wreath lichen. The main vegetative body (thallus) lacks a cortex (ecorticate and is often immersed in the substrate or byssoid. The medulla is white, well defined, and often peppered with calcium oxalate crystals. Ascomata are not well defined, being cushions of soft white mycelium immersed in the medullary tissue, hence the name from the Greek krypto = "to conceal" and theke = "a container or sheath". There are about 45 described species in the genus according to one source, and 75 species according to another. The genus is in the family Arthoniaceae. It contains Trentepohlia, a green alga, as its photobiont partner.

<i>Chiodecton</i> Genus of lichens

Chiodecton is a genus of lichens in the family Roccellaceae. The genus was circumscribed by lichenologist Erik Acharius in 1814, with Chiodecton sphaerale assigned as the type species.

Sagenidiopsis isidiata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) byssoid lichen in the family Arthoniaceae. Found in tropical montane rainforests throughout Central America, South America, and the Antilles, it was described as new to science in 2011. The lichen is characterised by its cream-coloured to greyish thallus and numerous pseudoisidia, which are small, cylindrical outgrowths on its surface.

Enterographa lichexanthonica is a species of crustose and corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Roccellaceae. Found in the Brazilian Amazon, it was formally introduced as a new species in 2017 by lichenologists Marcela Eugenia Cáceres and André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected by the authors from the Adolfo Ducke Forest Reserve, along trails near a field station; here, it was found growing on tree bark in a old-growth rainforest. The lichen has a thin, dull, pale greenish thallus surrounded by a thin black prothallus. Its ascospores are hyaline, have seven septa, and measure 21–27 by 5–6 μm; they have a 1 μm-thick gelatinous sheath surrounding them. The specific epithet lichexanthonica refers to lichexanthone, a secondary chemical that occurs in the cortex of the lichen. This compound causes the lichen to fluoresce yellow when a UV light is shone upon it. Enterographa lichexanthonica is morphologically similar to E. kalbii, but this latter species has lichexanthone only on the ascomata, not on the thallus.

Astrothelium flavostiolatum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Ecuador, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected by Harrie Sipman from the Reserva Biológica San Francisco in the Andes of southern Ecuador at an altitude of 2,020 m (6,630 ft); there, it was found in a rainforest growing on smooth tree bark. The lichen has an olive-green thallus with a cortex but lacking a prothallus, covering areas of up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. The thallus is covered with small wart-like structures, and consists of swollen and distended (bullate) areas that coalesce, forming a continuous structure. The presence of the lichen does not induce the formation of galls in its host. A yellow anthraquinone is the only lichen product that was detected from the species using thin-layer chromatography. The group of characteristics of the lichen distinguishing it from others in Astrothelium are its irregular, bullate thallus; its solitary to confluent ascomata with yellowish ostiolar rims, and the coarse thallus verrucae.

Astrothelium inspersogalbineum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Singapore, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Gothamie Weerakoon. The type specimen was collected by the second author in a rainforest, where it was found growing on smooth bark. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale greenish-grey thallus with a cortex and a thin black prothallus line. It covers areas of up to 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter, and does not induce gall formation in its host plant. A yellow to orange anthraquinone was the only lichen product detected in the collected specimens using thin-layer chromatography. A. inspersogalbineum also contains the compound lichexanthone, which causes the thallus to fluoresce yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The main characteristics of the lichen distinguishing it from others in Astrothelium are its inspersedhamathecium; its ascospores, with dimensions of 20–25 by 9–11 μm; and the grouping of its ascomata, which can fuse together to become irregularly confluent.

Astrothelium flavoduplex is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors in the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, where it was found growing on a twig in a low-altitude primary rainforest. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, olive-green thallus with a black prothallus line and covers areas of up to 8 cm (3.1 in) in diameter. The ascomata are more or less spherical and typically occur in groups of around 7 to 50, usually immersed in the bark tissue as pseudostromata. The thallus contains lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes the thallus surface to fluoresce yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The use of thin-layer chromatography on collected samples revealed the presence of an anthraquinone compound, possibly parietin. Astrothelium mesoduplex is similar in appearance, but that species lacks lichexanthone, and has shorter ascospores.

Vigneronia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellaceae. It has five species. The genus was circumscribed in 2014 by Damien Ernst, with Vigneronia spieri assigned as the type species. This species, originally described as Schismatomma spieri from collections made in the Galápagos Islands, has since been recorded from mainland Ecuador and the Antilles (Curaçao). The genus is named after Ernst's wife, Nathalie Vigneron, who accompanied him on collecting trips.

Gossypiothallon is a fungal genus of uncertain familial placement in the order Arthoniales. It contains the single species Gossypiothallon appendisporum, a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen found in South Solomons. Both the genus and species were described as new to science in 2014 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected from Kolombangara island at an altitude of 700 m (2,300 ft), where it was found growing on bark.

Dirina catalinariae is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It occurs in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and the Galápagos Islands.

Dirina badia is a species of crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It is found on the small desert mountains of northern Peru, where it grows on both stone and on bark.

Vigneronia spieri is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It is found in the Galápagos Islands, mainland Ecuador and the Antilles (Curaçao).

Enterographa incognita is a little-known species of crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. Found in Southeast Thailand, it is characterised by its sorediate features and its distinct ascomata and ascospores. This lichen, only known to occur in its type locality, thrives on large trunks in a mangrove environment.

Enterographa rotundata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. This species was discovered in Brazil, growing on the smooth bark of trees in the Brazilian Caatinga forest. It has round apothecia, a feature that sets it apart from most of its kind.

<i>Fulvophyton</i> Genus of lichens

Fulvophyton is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellographaceae. It has 11 species. Fulvophyton is characterised by its crust-like thallus, which is often pale yellowish-brown in colour. This genus features a photobiont from the green algal genus Trentepohlia and exhibits a unique arrangement of reproductive structures.

Lecanactis borbonica is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), lichen in the family Roccellaceae. Found exclusively in Réunion, it forms a crustose thallus and is characterised by its rounded ascomata and the presence of specific chemical compounds.

Neosergipea bicolor is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Arthoniaceae. Found only in Brazil and described as a new species in 2017, Neosergipea bicolor is characterised its dual-coloured appearance.

Neosergipea hyphosa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Roccellaceae. This lichen species is uniquely characterised by its olive-green thallus—a type of vegetative tissue—and spherical ascomata, or fungal reproductive structures. It is most commonly found on tree bark in Brazil. The name hyphosa alludes to the distinct hyphose surface of the thallus.

Neosergipea septoconidiata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It is a unique species of lichen that grows on the bark of trees in the primary forests of Brazil with its bluish-grey thallus and bright orange pycnidia that have a fluffy hyphal surface.

References

  1. "Synonym. Current Name: Neosergipea M. Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot, in Lücking, Gutiérrez & Moncada, Lichenologist 48(4): 270 (2016)". Species Fungorum . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  2. "Neosergipea". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  3. Wijayawardene, N.N.; Hyde, K.D.; Dai, D.Q.; Sánchez-García, M.; Goto, B.T.; Saxena, R.K.; et al. (2022). "Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa – 2021". Mycosphere. 13 (1): 53–453. doi:10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2. S2CID   249054641.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Aptroot, André; Ertz, Damien; de Lima, Edvaneide Leandro; de Jesus, Katia Almeida; Maia, Leonor Costa; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2013). "Two new species of Roccellaceae (Ascomycota: Arthoniales) from Brazil, with the description of the new genus Sergipea". The Lichenologist. 45 (5): 627–634. doi:10.1017/s0024282913000303. S2CID   88243800.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Lücking, Robert; Gutiérrez, Martha Cecilia; Moncada, Bibiana (2016). "Neosergipea, a new name for the lichen fungus Sergipea, with an updated phylogeny and notes on the genus Dichosporidium (lichenized Ascomycota: Arthoniales: Roccellaceae)". The Lichenologist. 48 (4): 269–273. doi:10.1017/s0024282916000207. S2CID   89510328.
  6. 1 2 3 Aptroot, André; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2017). "New Arthoniales from Amapá (Amazonian North Brazil) show unexpected relationships". The Lichenologist. 49 (6): 607–615. doi:10.1017/s0024282917000500. S2CID   90700939.