{{Short description|Genus of lichen-forming fungi}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Use Oxford spelling|date=January 2026}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Athallia holocarpa 8067465.jpg | image_caption = ''Athallia holocarpa'' | taxon = Athallia | authority = Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013) | type_species = ''Athallia holocarpa'' | type_species_authority = (Hoffm.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013) }}
'''''Athallia''''' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. Most species have a poorly developed or almost invisible thallus, with the fruiting bodies often appearing to sit directly on the substrate. The genus occurs on bark, wood, and rock, and is found mainly in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. All species share a characteristic set of orange anthraquinone pigments known as {{lichengloss|chemosyndrome}} A.
==Taxonomy== ''Athallia'' was described by Ulf Arup, Patrik Frödén and Ulrik Søchting in 2013 during a broader reworking of the family Teloschistaceae. That study set out to replace the traditional, very broad ''Caloplaca'' concept with smaller genera that better match evolutionary relationships inferred from DNA data. The authors placed ''Athallia'' in the subfamily Xanthorioideae and designated ''A. holocarpa'' as the type species. The genus name means "without thallus", referring to the reduced thallus that is common in the group.<ref name="Arup et al. 2013"/>
In the phylogenetic analyses used to define the genus, ''Athallia'' formed a well-supported clade corresponding to the former "''Caloplaca holocarpa'' group". Its nearest relatives were inferred to include ''Flavoplaca'' and ''Calogaya''. The authors pointed out that ''Athallia'' and ''Flavoplaca'' are often hard to separate confidently by appearance alone, and that DNA evidence may be needed for secure placement; they also argued that ''Athallia'' cannot simply be merged into ''Flavoplaca'' without creating a much broader genus that would have to absorb several additional lineages. As part of establishing the genus, they made new combinations for several species previously placed in ''Caloplaca'' and other genera, including the transfer of ''Caloplaca cerinelloides'' to ''Athallia'' as ''A. cerinelloides''.<ref name="Arup et al. 2013"/>
==Description== Most species in ''Athallia'' have a poorly developed thallus, with the exception of ''A. scopularis''. In ''A. scopularis'', the thallus is well-developed and {{lichengloss|lobate}}, meaning it has a lobed structure. The {{lichengloss|cortex}}, which is the outer layer of the thallus, is typically an amorphous layer or made up of indistinctly organized tissue (indistinctly {{lichengloss|paraplectenchymatous}}), a tissue structure previously referred to as "alveolate" by Vondrák et al. in 2009.<ref name="Vondrák et al. 2009"/> In ''A. scopularis'', however, the cortex consists of hyphae (fungal filaments) that are arranged {{lichengloss|anticlinally}}, meaning they run perpendicular to the surface.<ref name="Arup et al. 2013"/>
''Athallia vitellinula'' is atypical in the genus for having a conspicuous thallus, but it is usually very thin. The apothecia (fruiting bodies) in ''Athallia'' are mainly {{lichengloss|zeorine}}, which means they lack a {{lichengloss|thalline margin}}. The spores produced are {{lichengloss|polaridiblastic}}, meaning they are divided into two components ({{lichengloss|locules}}) separated by a central septum with a perforation. Pycnidia, which are small, flask-shaped structures producing asexual spores (conidia), are typically orange in ''Athallia'', but they are often absent. The conidia, when present, are ellipsoid in shape.<ref name="Arup et al. 2013"/>
All ''Athallia'' lichens have a suite of secondary metabolites (lichen products) corresponding to the {{lichengloss|chemosyndrome}} A as previously elaborated by Søchting.<ref name="Søchting 1997"/>
==Species== {{As of|2026|January}}, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts 11 species of ''Athallia''.<ref name="CoL"/>
* ''Athallia alnetorum'' {{au|(Giralt, Nimis & Poelt) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)}} * ''Athallia brachyspora'' {{au|(Mereschk.) Halıcı & Vondrák (2016)}}<ref name="Vondrák et al. 2016"/> * ''Athallia cerinella'' {{au|(Nyl.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)}} * ''Athallia cerinelloides'' {{au|(Erichsen) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)}} * ''Athallia holocarpa'' {{au|(Hoffm.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)}} * ''Athallia inconnexa'' {{au|(Nyl.)<ref name="Nylander 1883"/> S.Y.Kondr. & L.Lokos (2018)}}<ref name="Kondratyuk et al. 2018"/> * ''Athallia pyracea'' {{au|(Ach.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)}} * ''Athallia saxifragarum'' {{au|(Poelt)<ref name="Poelt 1955"/> Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)}} * ''Athallia scopularis'' {{au|(Nyl.)<ref name="Nylander 1883"/> Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)}} * ''Athallia subrotundispora'' {{au|Stepanchikova, Himelbrant & I.V.Frolov (2025)}}<ref name="Frolov et al. 2025"/> – Russian Far East * ''Athallia vitellinula'' {{au|(Nyl.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)}}
Two names assigned to this genus, ''Athallia necator'' {{au|(Poelt & Clauzade) Vondrák, Halıcı, Güllü & Demirel (2016)}}, and ''Athallia nesodes'' {{au|(Poelt & Nimis) Halıcı & Vondrák (2016)}}, were not validly published.<ref name="IF: Athallia necator"/><ref name="IF: Athallia nesodes"/> A third name, ''Athallia baltistanica'' {{au|Poelt & Hinter. ex Halıcı & Vondrák (2016)}}, is also treated as not validly published, because it was proposed as a new combination based on an invalid basionym (''Caloplaca baltistanica'' {{au|Poelt & Hinter. 1993}}).<ref name="IF: Athallia baltistanica"/>
==Gallery== <gallery heights="160px" widths = 210px> Athallia scopularis 90080917.jpg|''A. scopularis'' Athallia cerinelloides 111552993.jpg|''A. cerinelloides'' File:Athallia holocarpa Droker.jpg|''A. holocarpa'' </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<ref name="Arup et al. 2013">{{cite journal |last1=Arup |first1=Ulf |last2=Søchting |first2=Ulrik |last3=Frödén |first3=Patrik |title=A new taxonomy of the family Teloschistaceae |journal=Nordic Journal of Botany |volume=31 |issue=1 |year=2013 |pages=16–83 |doi=10.1111/j.1756-1051.2013.00062.x}}</ref>
<ref name="CoL">{{Catalogue of Life |id=34XX |title=''Athallia'' |access-date=18 August 2025}}</ref>
<ref name="Frolov et al. 2025">{{cite journal |last1=Frolov |first1=Ivan V. |last2=Himelbrant |first2=Dmitry E. |last3=Stepanchikova |first3=Irina S. |last4=Prokopiev |first4=Ilya A. |last5=Korznikov |first5=Kirill |last6=Zueva |first6=Anna S. |title=The Commander Islands as a hotspot for Teloschistales diversity in the North Pacific: a meeting point for different lichen biotas |journal=The Lichenologist |volume=57 |issue=3-4 |year=2025 |doi=10.1017/S0024282925101035 |pages=116–143}}</ref>
<ref name="IF: Athallia baltistanica">{{cite web |title=Record Details: ''Athallia baltistanica'' Poelt & Hinter. ex Halıcı & Vondrák, in Vondrak, Halici, Güllü & Demirel, Turkish Journal of Botany 40: 320 (2016) |url=https://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=812685 |publisher=Index Fungorum |access-date=20 January 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="IF: Athallia necator">{{cite web |title=Record Details: ''Athallia necator'' (Poelt & Clauzade) Vondrák, Halıcı, Güllü & Demirel, in Vondrak, Halici, Güllü & Demirel, Turkish Journal of Botany 40: 319 (2016) |url=https://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=623380 |publisher=Index Fungorum |access-date=20 January 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="IF: Athallia nesodes">{{cite web |title=Record Details: ''Athallia nesodes'' (Poelt & Nimis) Halıcı & Vondrák, in Vondrak, Halici, Güllü & Demirel, Turkish Journal of Botany 40: 322 (2016)|url=https://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=812682 |publisher=Index Fungorum |access-date=20 January 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="Kondratyuk et al. 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Kondratyuk |first1=S.Y. |last2=Kärnefelt |first2=I. |last3=Lőkös |first3=L. |last4=Hur |first4=J.S. |last5=Thell |first5=A. |year=2018 |title=''Coppinsiella'' and ''Seawardiella'' – two new genera of the Xanthorioideae (Teloschistaceae, lichen-forming Ascomycota) |journal=Acta Botanica Hungarica |volume=60 |issue=3–4 |pages=369–386 |doi=10.1556/034.60.2018.3-4.8 |url=http://real.mtak.hu/86465/1/034.60.2018.3-4.8.pdf}}</ref>
<ref name="Poelt 1955">{{cite journal |last=Poelt |first=J. |year=1955 |title=Die Gipfelvegetation und -flora des Wettersteingebirges |trans-title=The summit vegetation and flora of the Wetterstein Mountains |journal=Feddes Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis |volume=58 |issue=1–3 |pages=157–179 |language=de}}</ref>
<ref name="Nylander 1883">{{cite journal |last=Nylander |first=W. |year=1883 |title=Addenda nova ad Lichenographiam Europaeam. Contin. XL |trans-title=New additions to the lichenography of Europe. Continuation 40 |journal=Flora |volume=66 |pages=97–109 |language=la |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/67438}}</ref>
<ref name="Søchting 1997">{{cite journal |last=Søchting |first=Ulrik |year=1997 |title=Two major anthraquinone chemosyndromes in Teloschistaceae |journal=Bibliotheca Lichenologica |volume=68 |pages=135–144}}</ref>
<ref name="Vondrák et al. 2009">{{cite journal |last1=Vondrák |first1=Jan |last2=Říha |first2=Pavel |last3=Arup |first3=Ulf |last4=SøChting |first4=Ulrik |title=The taxonomy of the ''Caloplaca citrina'' group (Teloschistaceae) in the Black Sea region; with contributions to the cryptic species concept in lichenology |journal=The Lichenologist |volume=41 |issue=6 |year=2009 |doi=10.1017/S0024282909008317 |pages=571–604}}</ref>
<ref name="Vondrák et al. 2016">{{cite journal |last1=Vondrák |first=J. |last2=Halici |first2=M.G. |last3=Güllü |first3=M. |last4=Demirel |first4=R. |year=2016 |title=Taxonomy of the genus ''Athallia'' and its diversity in Turkey |journal=Turkish Journal of Botany |volume=40 |pages=319–328}}</ref>
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Category:Teloschistales Category:Teloschistales genera Category:Lichen genera Category:Taxa described in 2013 Category:Taxa named by Ulf Arup Category:Taxa named by Patrik Frödén Category:Taxa named by Ulrik Søchting