Astrothelium
TaxonAstrothelium
AuthorityEschw. (1824)
Type speciesAstrothelium conicum
Type species authorityEschw. (1824)
Subdivision ranksSpecies
Synonyms

Astrothelium is a large genus of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichens in the family Trypetheliaceae.[1] The genus is characterized by a corticate thallus and diverse ascomata structures, which can be simple, aggregated, or forming . Astrothelium is also notable for the walls of its ascomata, the so-called ' (i.e., tightly interwoven) arrangement of cells in these walls, and various forms of , transparent spores.

Taxonomy

The genus was circumscribed in 1824 by German botanist Franz Gerhard Eschweiler, with Astrothelium conicum assigned as the type species.[2]

Description

The thallus, or the vegetative body of Astrothelium, is , meaning it is covered by a protective . The ascomata, which are the fruiting bodies containing the reproductive spores, can appear in various forms such as simple, aggregated, or forming . These structures often differ in their composition and colour, and can be used as to distinguish between species. The ascomata can range from being immersed within the thallus to prominently displayed on the surface. The ostioles, or small openings that allow the release of spores, can be located at the apex or eccentrically on the ascomata and may appear as either simple or fused structures.[3]

Astrothelium is also notable for its ascomatal wall, which is made up of hyphal cells and is typically carbonized. The wall features a , a term used to describe a tightly interwoven arrangement of cells.[3]

Within the , the tissue that houses the asci (spore-producing structures), the cells are either clear or filled with oil droplets. The ascospores, which are the sexual spores responsible for reproduction, are and hyaline in appearance. They can also exhibit a variety of forms, including transversely septate or , reflecting their segmented or multi-cellular nature.[3]

Species

As of January 2024, Species Fungorum accepts 267 species in Astrothelium.[4]

References

  1. ^ 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. hdl:10481/76378
  2. ^ Eschweiler, Franz Gerhard (1824). Systema Lichenum, Genera Exhibens rite distincta, Pluribus Novis Adaucta (in Latin). Nuremberg: J.L. Schrag. pp. 18, 26.
  3. ^ Aptroot, André & Lücking, Robert (2016). "A revisionary synopsis of the Trypetheliaceae (Ascomycota: Trypetheliales)". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 763–982. doi:10.1017/s0024282916000487
  4. ^
  5. ^ Aptroot, André; Ertz, Damien; Etayo Salazar, Javier Angel; Gueidan, Cécile; Mercado Diaz, Joel Alejandro; Schumm, Felix; Weerakoon, Gothamie (2016). "Forty-six new species of Trypetheliaceae from the tropics". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 609–638. doi:10.1017/s002428291600013x
  6. ^ Aptroot, André; Mendonça, Cléverton de Oliveira; Andrade, Danyelly Santos; Silva, Jeanne dos Reis; Martins, Suzana Maria de Azevedo; Gumboski, Emerson; Fraga, Carlos Augusto Vidigal; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2016). "New Trypetheliaceae from northern and southern Atlantic rainforests in Brazil". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 713–725. doi:10.1017/s0024282916000037
  7. ^ Flakus, Adam; Kukwa, Martin; Aptroot, André (2016). "Trypetheliaceae of Bolivia: an updated checklist with descriptions of twenty-four new species". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 661–692. doi:10.1017/S0024282915000559
  8. ^ da Silva Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia & Aptroot, André (2017). "Lichens from the Brazilian Amazon, with special reference to the genus Astrothelium". The Bryologist. 120 (2): 166–182. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-120.2.166
  9. ^ Lücking, Robert; Nelsen, Matthew P.; Aptroot, André; Benatti, Michel Navarro; Binh, Nguyen Quoc; Gueidan, Cecile; Gutiérrez, Martha Cecilia; Jungbluth, Patricia; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten; Marcelli, Marcelo P.; Moncada, Bibiana; Naksuwankul, Khwanruan; Orozco, Thelma; Salazar-Allen, Noris; Upreti, Dalip K. (2016). "A pot-pourri of new species of Trypetheliaceae resulting from molecular phylogenetic studies". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 639–660. doi:10.1017/S0024282916000475
  10. ^ Aptroot, André (2023). "Lichens from the Roosevelt River area in the Brazilian Amazon". Microbiology Research. 14 (2): 755–786. doi:10.3390/microbiolres14020054
  11. ^ Lücking, Robert; Álvaro-Alba, Wilson Ricardo; Moncada, Bibiana; Marín-Canchala, Norida Lucia; Tunjano, Sonia Sua; Cárdenas-López, Dairon (2023). "Lichens from the Colombian Amazon: 666 taxa including 28 new species and 157 new country records document an extraordinary diversity". The Bryologist. 126 (2): 242–303. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-126.2.242
  12. ^ Aptroot, André & Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2016). "New Trypetheliaceae from the Amazon basin in Rondônia (Brazil), the centre of diversity of the genus Astrothelium". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 693–712. doi:10.1017/s0024282915000584
  13. ^ Aptroot, André; Sipman, Harrie J.M.; Barreto, Flávia Maria Oliveira; Nunes, Ariel Dantas; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2019). "Ten new species and 34 new country records of Trypetheliaceae". The Lichenologist. 51 (1): 27–43. doi:10.1017/s002428291800052x
  14. ^ Kukwa, Martin; Rodriguez-Flakus, Pamela; Aptroot, André; Flakus, Adam (2023). "Two new species of Astrothelium from Sud Yungas in Bolivia and the first discovery of vegetative propagules in the family Trypetheliaceae (lichen-forming Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota)". MycoKeys. ' (95): 83–100. doi:10.3897/mycokeys.95.98986. PMC 10210239. PMID 37251997
  15. ^ Junior, Isaias Oliveira; Aptroot, André; da Silva Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia (2021). "Lichens from Monte Pascoal, Bahia, Brazil, with some new pyrenocarpous species and a key to the Pyrenula species from Brazil". The Bryologist. 124 (4): 552–568. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-124.4.552
  16. ^ Córdova-Chávez, Octavio; Aptroot, André; Castillo-Camposa, Gonzalo; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva; Pérez-Pérez, Rosa Emilia (2014). "Three new lichen species from cloud forest in Veracuz, Mexico". Cryptogamie, Mycologie. 35 (2): 157–162. doi:10.7872/crym.v35.iss2.2014.157
  17. ^ Aptroot, André; de Souza, Maria Fernanda; dos Santos, Lidiane Alves; Junior, Isaias Oliveira; Barbosa, Bruno Micael Cardoso; da Silva, Marcela Eugenia Cáceres (2022). "New species of lichenized fungi from Brazil, with a record report of 492 species in a small area of the Amazon Forest". The Bryologist. 125 (3): 435–467. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-125.3.433
  18. ^ da Silva Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia & Aptroot, André (2016). "First inventory of lichens from the Brazilian Amazon in Amapá State". The Bryologist. 119 (3): 250–265. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-119.3.250
  19. ^ Kalb, Klaus & Aptroot, André (2018). "New lichen species from Brazil and Venezuela". The Bryologist. 121 (1): 56–66. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-121.1.056