| Nitidochapsa | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Graphidales |
| Family: | Graphidaceae |
| Genus: | Nitidochapsa Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2013) |
| Type species | |
| Nitidochapsa leprieurii (Mont.) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2013) | |
| Species | |
N. aggregata Contents | |
Nitidochapsa is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. [1] It has five species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens.
The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by the lichenologists Sittiporn Parnmen, Robert Lücking, and H. Thorsten Lumbsch. The type species is N. leprieurii , originally described in 1855 from specimens collected in French Guiana, as a member of Sticta . [2]
The thallus of Nitidochapsa is continuous and can have a smooth to uneven surface, characterised by an olive-brown colour. When observed in a cross-section, the thallus of Nitidochapsa has a dense upper cortex composed of tightly packed cells ( prosoplectenchymatous ) and an irregular algal layer that partially lies beneath the bark's outer layer (endoperidermal). This genus typically lacks or rarely forms clusters of calcium oxalate, a common crystalline compound in many lichens. [2]
The apothecia (fruiting bodies) Nitidochapsa are angular-rounded and emerge from the thallus ( erumpent ). The disc of the apothecia is light brown and covered with a fine white powder (white- pruinose ), while the proper margin around the disc is indistinct. The thalline margin of the apothecia has 5 to 8 recurved lobules that are felty and white. A columella , or central pillar-like structure commonly found in some lichens' apothecia, is absent in this genus. [2]
The excipulum (tissue surrounding the apothecia) is prosoplectenchymatous and varies in colour from hyaline (translucent) to pale brown. Nitidochapsa also features periphysoids , which are hair-like structures around the apothecial margin. The hymenium, the spore-producing layer, is clear, and the paraphyses (sterile filaments in the hymenium) are unbranched. Each ascus (spore-bearing cell) contains eight ascospores . These spores are 3-septate (divided into three compartments by septa), measuring 12–16 by 5–6 μm, oblong in shape, with thickened septa and lens-shaped (lenticular) lumina . The spores are dark brown and turn violet-blue with iodine staining (I+ violet-blue reaction). In terms of chemistry, Nitidochapsa does not produce any secondary metabolites. [2]
As of January 2024 [update] , Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts five species of Nitidochapsa: [3]
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.
Cladia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Cladoniaceae. Cladia species have a crustose or squamulose (scaly) primary thallus and a fruticose, secondary thallus, often referred to as pseudopodetium. The type species of the genus, Cladia aggregata, is widely distributed, occurring in South America, South Africa, Australasia and South-East Asia to southern Japan and India. Most of the other species are found in the Southern Hemisphere.
Acanthotrema is a genus of lichens in the family Graphidaceae. The genus was circumscribed by German lichenologist Andreas Frisch in 2006, with Acanthotrema brasilianum assigned as the type species. Acanthotrema species are commonly found in rainforests ranging from lowland to montane environments.
Aderkomyces thailandicus is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Gomphillaceae. Found in the lower montane rainforests of Thailand, it was described as new to science in 2011.
Astrochapsa is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the subfamily Graphidoideae of the family Graphidaceae. It has 28 species. The genus was circumscribed by Sittiporn Parnmen, Robert Lücking, and H. Thorsten Lumbsch in 2012, with Astrochapsa astroidea assigned as the type species. It was segregated from the genus Chapsa, from which it differs in having a more frequently densely corticate thallus, an apothecial margin that is mostly recurved, and the almost exclusively subdistoseptate, non-amyloid ascospores.
Pseudochapsa is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has 19 species. It was circumscribed in 2012 by Sittiporn Parnmen, Robert Lücking, and Helge Thorsten Lumbsch, with Pseudochapsa dilatata as the type species. Pseudochapsa differs from Chapsa it that its excipulum is typically brown. Additionally, its ascospores are mostly discoseptate and amyloid. The generic name combines the Greek pseudo ("false") with the genus name Chapsa.
Myriochapsa is a genus of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens in the subfamily Graphidoidae of the family Graphidaceae. It has three species. The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by Marcela Cáceres, Robert Lücking, and H. Thorsten Lumbsch, with the Brazilian Myriochapsa psoromica assigned as the type species. The generic name combines Myriotrema and Chapsa, referring to the two Graphidaceae genera that it resembles. The main distinguishing characteristics of the new genus are its densely corticate thallus, and the presence of the lichen product psoromic acid. Additionally, its apothecia have wider pores, with differently textured margins. Although originally created as a monotypic genus, Harrie Sipman added two South American species in 2014.
Pseudochapsa lueckingii is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Graphidaceae. It is known only from a single collection in São Paulo, Brazil.
Graphidales is an order of lichen-forming fungi in the class Lecanoromycetes. It contains 6 families, about 81 genera and about 2,228 species. Family Graphidaceae are the largest crustose family within Graphidales order comprising more than 2000 species, which are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
Clandestinotrema is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has 17 species. They typically inhabit montane and cloud forest at higher elevations in the tropics.
Redonographa is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the monogeneric family Redonographaceae. It has five species.
Austrotrema is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It is primarily found in the Australian-Southeast Asian region. The genus is characterized by small, pore-like apothecia with a double margin, faintly amyloid ascospores, and stictic acid chemistry. Austrotrema species grow on tree bark and have a continuous thallus with a cortex that is prosoplectenchymatous–featuring densely packed, filamentous fungal hyphae that run parallel to the surface of the lichen, creating a compact and firm texture. The genus is closely related to Thelotrema and Leucodecton, but can be distinguished from them based on molecular phylogenetic data, specific morphological traits, and its secondary chemistry. Currently, Austrotrema comprises three species.
Xalocoa is a single-species fungal genus in the family Graphidaceae. The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by lichenologists Ekaphan Kraichak, Robert Lücking, and H. Thorsten Lumbsch. It contains Xalocoa ocellata, a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen that was originally described by Elias Magnus Fries in 1831.
Sanguinotrema is a single-species fungal genus in the family Graphidaceae, and subfamily Graphidoideae. It contains the species Sanguinotrema wightii, a mostly corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen. This species has a pantropical distribution.
Gintarasia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has seven species, all of which are found in Australia. Gintarasia species are corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens with a thelotremoid form.
Cruentotrema amazonum is a little-known species of script lichen in the family Graphidaceae. It is found in Brazil, Thailand, and Vietnam, where it grows in the understory of primary rainforests.
Acanthotrema kalbii is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Graphidaceae. First classified as a new species in 2012, the lichen is found in Costa Rica, where it grows in partially shaded areas of disturbed primary forest within the montane rainforest zone. This lichen stands out from its close relative, A. brasilianum, primarily due to the internal structure of its larger ascospores. The inaugural specimen of A. kalbii used for the species' formal description, was located on tree bark in a montane rainforest in the Las Tablas Protected Zone. The lichen is recognisable by its grey-green thallus, which varies from smooth to uneven and produces slender isidia, tiny outgrowths, up to 2 mm in length.
Compositrema is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has four species. The genus was circumscribed in 2012 by lichenologists Eimy Rivas Plata, Robert Lücking, and Helge Thorsten Lumbsch, with C. cerebriforme assigned as the type species. The genus is distinguished by its unique, composite pseudostromatic ascomata, which sets it apart from the otherwise similar genus Stegobolus.
Gyrotrema papillatum is a little-known species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Harpidiaceae. It is known from a single collection in a lowland rainforest region of Costa Rica.
Ocellularia vizcayensis is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Graphidaceae. It is known from a single collection made in Luzon, Philippines. The lichen thallus is a white, irregularly structured, areolate surface with a layer that includes a photosynthetic partner, both containing large calcium oxalate crystals. Its fruiting bodies are either embedded or protruding, round, with very narrow openings, and contain large, oblong, colorless spores that turn violet-blue when stained with iodine.