Fulvophyton
TaxonFulvophyton
AuthorityErtz & Tehler (2011)
Type speciesFulvophyton stalactinum
Type species authority(Nyl.) Ertz & Tehler (2011)

Fulvophyton is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellographaceae. It has 11 species.[1][2] Fulvophyton is characterised by its crust-like thallus, which is often pale yellowish-brown in colour. This genus features a from the green algal genus Trentepohlia and exhibits a unique arrangement of reproductive structures.

Taxonomy

The genus was circumscribed in 2011 by lichenologists Damien Ertz and Anders Tehler, as part of a molecular phylogenetic-based restructuring of the order Arthoniales. The genus encompasses species that were previously classified in the genus Sclerophyton, as proposed by Laurens Sparrius in 2004.[3] However, these species deviate from the type of that genus due to the presence of rounded to ellipsoid ascomata, which are often covered in white , and a hyaline or pale . The type species of Fulvophyton is F. stalactinum, a lichen first described by William Nylander in 1855 (as Chiodecton stalactinum).[4]

Description

The thallus of Fulvophyton is crustose and lacks a ; it often has an algal-free zone formed by interwoven hyphae. The ascomata are or shortly , and immersed in the thallus, ranging from 0.05 to 0.6 by 0.05–0.3 mm in size. The hymenial is usually exposed and covered with white .[4]

The is thin, hyaline or brown, measuring between 5–35 μm. The is hyaline or pale brown, while the displays a brown colouration. are branched and anastomosing. Asci are cylindrical to and 8-spored, measuring 60–120 by 12–25 μm.[4]

are hyaline, fusiform or oblong, straight or slightly curved, featuring 3–7 (up to 12) . They exhibit a macrocephalic ascospores septation pattern, measuring 20–50 by 5–9 μm, and are surrounded by a distinct gelatinous sheath. are immersed and punctiform, appearing black. are hyaline, , and curved, with dimensions of 12–18 by 0.8–1 μm.[4]

Species

As of May 2023, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accept 11 species of Fulvophyton.[1]

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ 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 [90]. doi:10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2. hdl:10481/76378. S2CID 249054641
  3. ^ Sparrius, Laurens B. (2004). A monograph of Enterographa and Sclerophyton'. Vol. 89. Bibliotheca Lichenologica. Berlin/Stuttgart: J. Cramer. pp. 65–81. ISBN 978-3-443-58068-1.
  4. ^ Ertz, Damien & Tehler, Anders (2011). "The phylogeny of Arthoniales (Pezizomycotina) inferred from nucLSU and RPB2 sequences". Fungal Diversity. 49 (1): 47–71. doi:10.1007/s13225-010-0080-y. S2CID 19367958
  5. ^ Tehler, Anders; Ertz, Damien; Irestedt, Martin (2013). "The genus Dirina (Roccellaceae, Arthoniales) revisited". The Lichenologist. 45 (4): 427–476. doi:10.1017/s0024282913000121. S2CID 85670716
  6. ^ Tehler, Anders (2017). "Three new combinations in the genus Fulvophyton (Roccellographaceae, Arthoniales)". The Lichenologist. 49 (2): 171–173. doi:10.1017/s0024282917000019. S2CID 90036138
  7. ^ Diederich, P.; Lücking, R.; Aptroot, A.; Sipman, H.J.M.; Braun, U.; Ahti, T.; Ertz, D. (2017). "New species and new records of lichens and lichenicolous fungi from the Seychelles". Herzogia. 30 (1): 182–236. doi:10.13158/heia.30.1.2017.182. S2CID 90006325
  8. ^ Sparrius, Laurens; Tehler, Anders; Kalb, Klaus (2020). "New species of Enterographa and Fulvophyton from Malaysia and Mexico". Plant and Fungal Systematics. 65 (1): 185–188. doi:10.35535/pfsyst-2020-0013