{{Short description|Genus of lichens}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Speciesbox | image = | parent_authority = Sobreira, M.Cáceres & [[Robert Lücking|Lücking]] (2018) | taxon = Flabelloporina squamulifera | authority = (Breuss, Lücking & E.Navarro) Sobreira, M.Cáceres & Lücking (2018) | synonyms_ref = <ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy"/> | synonyms = *''Porina squamulifera'' {{au|Breuss, Lücking & E.Navarro (2013)}} }}
'''''Flabelloporina''''' is a fungal [[genus]] in the family [[Porinaceae]].<ref name="CoL"/> It consists of a single species, '''''Flabelloporina squamulifera''''', which grows on tree bark in tropical rainforests. The lichen was first discovered in Costa Rica in 2013 and later found in Brazil, suggesting it may be more widespread in South and Central American wet forests. ''Flabelloporina'' is distinguished by its unique [[thallus]] (lichen body) structure, which produces numerous small, fan-shaped outgrowths called {{lichengloss|squamules}}. These structures, along with its black [[fruiting bodies]] and internal features, set it apart from related lichens. Originally classified in the genus ''[[Porina]]'', genetic analysis in 2018 revealed it to be distinct, leading to the creation of the new genus ''Flabelloporina''. The lichen typically inhabits the lower levels of humid forests, where it can sometimes extensively cover individual tree trunks.
==Taxonomy==
The species ''Porina squamulifera'' was originally [[species description|scientifically described]] in 2013 by the lichenologists Othmar Breuss, [[Robert Lücking]], and Enia Navarro. The [[type (biology)|type specimen]] was collected by Navarro in 2002 from the [[Pacific La Amistad Conservation Area]] in [[Puntarenas Province]]. Although placed in the genus ''Porina'', the authors noted that the thallus [[morphology (biology)|morphology]] was "hitherto unknown within the family, since only species with cylindrical or disc-shaped isidia have been described".<ref name="Lücking et al. 2013"/>
Genus ''Flabelloporina'' was proposed in 2018 by Priscylla Sobreira, Marcela Cáceres, and Lücking to accommodate the species. [[Molecular phylogenetic]] analysis of the [[Mitochondrial ribosome|mitochondrial small subunit]] (mtSSU) [[ribosomal DNA]] revealed that ''F. squamulifera'' forms a distinct [[lineage (evolution)|lineage]] separate from other genera with black, exposed {{lichengloss|perithecia}} (fruiting bodies) such as ''[[Pseudosagedia]]'' and ''[[Trichothelium]]''.<ref name="Sobreira et al. 2018"/>
The genus name ''Flabelloporina'' refers to the distinctive {{lichengloss|flabelliform}} (fan-shaped) {{lichengloss|squamules}} produced on the thallus surface, which distinguish it morphologically from all other genera in Porinaceae. Other diagnostic features include the black, exposed perithecia lacking a thalline cover, and transversely [[septum|septate]] ascospores. ''Flabelloporina'' falls within one of two major [[clade]]s recovered in [[phylogenetic]] analyses of Porinaceae, specifically the clade containing taxa with perithecia covered by thallus tissue (with some exceptions).<ref name="Sobreira et al. 2018"/>
Originally discovered in Costa Rica, ''F. squamulifera'' was subsequently found in Brazil, suggesting it may be more widespread in Neotropical wet forests. The genus represents one of approximately 15 genus-level lineages identified within Porinaceae based on molecular data. This higher-level classification correlates well with morphological traits and substrate ecology across the family, which contains over 300 species. Further sampling may reveal additional diversity within Flabelloporina as more tropical forest habitats are surveyed for crustose lichens.<ref name="Sobreira et al. 2018"/>
==Description==
''Flabelloporina'' primarily grows on tree bark ([[corticolous lichen|corticolous]]) but can also occasionally be found on rocks ([[saxicolous lichen|saxicolous]]). The [[thallus]] forms a smooth, thin layer that can be up to 5 cm wide. It ranges in colour from greyish-green to yellowish or olive-green and has a shiny surface. The edges of the thallus are bordered by a dark violet to black [[prothallus#In lichens|prothallus]], which is a distinct outline that extends beneath the thallus as a hypothallus—a thin, black layer visible around the edges, about 0.5–1 mm wide. The thallus itself is 60–80 [[μm]] thick, with a thin, colourless outer layer (upper {{lichengloss|cortex}}) composed of tightly packed fungal filaments ([[hypha]]e). Below this is a layer containing [[green algae]] ({{lichengloss|photobiont}}) from the genus ''[[Trentepohlia (alga)|Trentepohlia]]'', which provides the lichen with energy through [[photosynthesis]].<ref name="Lücking et al. 2013"/> One of the key features of ''Flabelloporina'' is its production of {{lichengloss|phyllidia}}—small, leaf-like structures that aid in reproduction. These phyllidia are semi-circular to fan-shaped, thin, and delicate, often forming in clusters on the surface of the thallus. They are 0.3–1.0 mm wide and 0.2–0.6 mm long, although larger phyllidia up to 3 mm wide and 2 mm long can develop. The phyllidia have smooth or slightly notched ({{lichengloss|crenulate}}) edges, become branched with age, and are easily detached from the thallus, allowing the lichen to spread.<ref name="Lücking et al. 2013"/>
The reproductive structures of ''Flabelloporina'' include [[perithecia]], which are small, round fruiting bodies that produce spores. These are dark brown to black, measuring 0.25–0.35 mm in diameter, and can sometimes contain multiple spore chambers. The wall of the perithecia contains a distinctive violet pigment called ''Pseudosagedia''-violet. The spores are contained in sac-like structures ([[ascus|asci]]), which are 80–100 μm long and spindle-shaped ({{lichengloss|fusiform}}). Each ascus holds eight spores, which are oblong and divided into three compartments (3-[[septum|septate]]), measuring 15–20 μm long and 3–4 μm wide. The spores are colourless and translucent ([[hyaline]]). No [[lichen product]]s were detected through [[thin-layer chromatography]], except for the violet pigment found in the perithecial walls. The genus does not produce [[pycnidia]] (asexual reproductive structures).<ref name="Lücking et al. 2013"/>
==Habitat and distribution==
''Flabelloporina squamulifera'' is a [[corticolous lichen|corticolous]] (bark-dwelling) lichen species found in [[tropical rainforest]] environments. It was originally discovered in Costa Rica, specifically in the [[Pacific La Amistad Conservation Area]], [[Las Tablas Protected Zone]], at an elevation of {{cvt|1600|–|1700|m}} above sea level.<ref name="Sobreira et al. 2018"/>
Its known range was significantly expanded when it was later found in Brazil, in the [[Atlantic rainforest]] remnant of Estação Biológica Santa Lúcia, [[Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo]] state. This Brazilian location is at a lower elevation of about {{cvt|650|m}} above sea level. The considerable distance between these two sites suggests that ''F. squamulifera'' may have a broader distribution across Neotropical wet forests than initially thought.<ref name="Sobreira et al. 2018"/>
In its Brazilian habitat, ''F. squamulifera'' was observed to have a notable growth pattern. It was found covering almost the entire surface of a single tree trunk, demonstrating its ability to colonise extensively under favourable conditions. It was not detected on any other trees in the immediate vicinity, indicating potential specificity in its substrate preferences or microhabitat requirements. The species typically inhabits the [[understory]] of humid tropical rainforests, where it likely benefits from the stable, moist conditions provided by the forest [[canopy (biology)|canopy]].<ref name="Sobreira et al. 2018"/>
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<ref name="CoL">{{Catalogue of Life |id=B2PCF |title=''Flabelloporina'' |access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref>
<ref name="Lücking et al. 2013">{{cite journal |last1=Lücking |first1=Robert |last2=Breuss |first2=Othmar |last3=Nelsen |first3=Matthew P. |last4=Navarro |first4=Enia |last5=Aptroot |first5=André |last6=Chaves |first6=José Luis |last7=Trest |first7=Marie |last8=Will-Wolf |first8=Susan |title=''Porina squamulifera'' (lichenized Ascomycota: Porinaceae), a new species from tropical rainforest in Costa Rica with unique thallus morphology |journal=Herzogia |volume=26 |issue=2 |year=2013 |doi=10.13158/heia.26.2.2013.223 |pages=223–230 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273665778}}</ref>
<ref name="Sobreira et al. 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Sobreira |first1=Priscylla Nayara Bezerra |last2=Cáceres |first2=Marcela Eugenia Da Silva |last3=Maia |first3=Leonor Costa |last4=Lücking |first4=Robert |title=''Flabelloporina'', a new genus in the Porinaceae (Ascomycota, Ostropales), with the first record of ''F. squamulifera'' from Brazil |journal=Phytotaxa |volume=358 |issue=1 |year=2018 |pages=67 |doi=10.11646/phytotaxa.358.1.4}}</ref>
<ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy">{{cite web |title=Synonymy. Current Name: ''Flabelloporina squamulifera'' (Breuss, Lücking & E. Navarro) Sobreira, M. Cáceres & Lücking, in Sobreira, Cáceres, Maia & Lücking, Phytotaxa 358(1): 72 (2018)|url=https://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/SynSpecies.asp?RecordID=826749 |publisher=[[Species Fungorum]] |access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref>
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[[Category:Gyalectales]] [[Category:Gyalectales genera]] [[Category:Lichen genera]] [[Category:Taxa described in 2018]] [[Category:Taxa named by Marcela Cáceres]] [[Category:Taxa named by Robert Lücking]]