# Pulchrocladia

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{{Short description|Genus of lichen}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=June 2025}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Pulchrocladia retipora 85223209.jpg
| image_caption = ''Pulchrocladia retipora''
| taxon = Pulchrocladia
| authority = S.Stenroos, Pino-Bodas, [Lumbsch](/source/Helge_Thorsten_Lumbsch) & [Ahti](/source/Teuvo_Ahti) (2018)
| type_species = ''Pulchrocladia retipora''
| type_species_authority = ([Labill.](/source/Labill.)) S.Stenroos, Pino-Bodas & Ahti (2018)
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = ''[P. corallaizon](/source/Pulchrocladia_corallaizon)''<br />
''[P. ferdinandii](/source/Pulchrocladia_ferdinandii)''<br />
''[P. retipora](/source/Pulchrocladia_retipora)''
}}

'''''Pulchrocladia''''' is a small [genus](/source/genus) of [fruticose lichen](/source/fruticose_lichen)s in the family [Cladoniaceae](/source/Cladoniaceae). It has three species.<ref name="Wijayawardene et al. 2022"/><ref name="CoL_75D4"/> The genus was established in 2018 when DNA studies revealed that the traditional genus ''[Cladia](/source/Cladia)'' contained several distinct [evolutionary groups](/source/lineage_(evolution)), leading scientists to separate them into different genera. These [ground-dwelling lichens](/source/terricolous_lichen) are found only in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, where they form coral-like cushions with intricate lattice patterns in open [heathland](/source/heathland)s, [bog](/source/bog)s, and coastal areas.

==Taxonomy==

''Pulchrocladia'' was erected as a segregate genus of the [Cladoniaceae](/source/Cladoniaceae) in 2018, when multilocus phylogenetic analyses showed that ''[Cladia](/source/Cladia)'' in its traditional wide sense was [paraphyletic](/source/paraphyletic). The study resolved three well-supported [lineages](/source/lineage_(evolution)) within ''Cladia'': [clade](/source/clade) A (now ''[Rexiella](/source/Rexiella)''<ref name="Stenroos et. al. 2019"/>), clade B (''Cladia'' sensu stricto), and clade C, which was recognised as ''Pulchrocladia'' to maintain [monophyly](/source/monophyly) across the group. The new genus received strong statistical support and was formally published by Soili Stenroos, Raquel Pino-Bodas, [Helge Thorsten Lumbsch](/source/Helge_Thorsten_Lumbsch) and [Teuvo Ahti](/source/Teuvo_Ahti). The genus name (from the [Latin](/source/Latin) ''pulchro'', meaning "pretty" or "beautiful") refers to "the beautiful morphology of its species".<ref name="Stenroos et al. 2018"/>

[Morphologically](/source/morphology_(biology)) and chemically, ''Pulchrocladia'' is distinct from both ''Cladia'' s.str. and ''Rexiella''. Its pseudopodetia are robust, yellow-tinged and richly {{lichengloss|fenestrate}}, forming an almost coral-like reticulate lattice; the inner [medulla](/source/medulla_(lichenology)) is stranded and {{lichengloss|reticulate}} rather than hollow or loosely filled. Chemically the genus is characterised by the consistent presence of usnic acid and atranorin, and the absence of divaricatic acid, which dominates in ''Rexiella''. These features, together with the coralloid branching pattern and regularly spaced fenestrations, provide reliable {{lichengloss|characters}} for field and [herbarium](/source/herbarium) recognition.<ref name="Stenroos et al. 2018"/>

==Habitat and distribution==

Species of ''Pulchrocladia'' are ground-dwelling, [fruticose lichen](/source/fruticose_lichen)s that favour open, well-lit situations. They usually form {{lichengloss|pulvinate}}, coral-like cushions on acidic, nutrient-poor [substrates](/source/substrate_(biology))—most often [peat](/source/peat)y or sandy soils in coastal and alpine [heathland](/source/heathland)s, but they are also recorded from granite [scree](/source/scree)s, [subalpine](/source/subalpine) peat bogs, and, more rarely, decaying wood or rocky ledges. Their strongly fenestrate {{lichengloss|pseudopodetia}} enhance ventilation and water-shedding, allowing the thalli to endure the fluctuating moisture and temperature typical of these exposed habitats.<ref name="Stenroos et al. 2018"/>

''Pulchrocladia'' is confined to the southern hemisphere, its centre of diversity in Australasia and extending north-eastwards to [New Caledonia](/source/New_Caledonia).  The type species, ''P.&nbsp;retipora'', ranges widely—from [Queensland](/source/Queensland), [New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales), [Victoria](/source/Victoria_(state)) and [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania) through New Zealand (including the [Antipodes](/source/Antipodes), [Auckland](/source/Auckland), [Campbell](/source/Campbell_Island%2C_New_Zealand) and [Chatham Islands](/source/Chatham_Islands)) to New Caledonia.  ''P.&nbsp;ferdinandii'' is an Australian endemic recorded in the [Australian Capital Territory](/source/Australian_Capital_Territory), New South Wales, Queensland, [South Australia](/source/South_Australia) and [Western Australia](/source/Western_Australia).  The narrowly distributed ''P.&nbsp;corallaizon'' is known only from South and Western Australia.  Collectively, these ranges span tropical to subantarctic latitudes.<ref name="Stenroos et al. 2018"/>

==Species==

''Pulchrocladia'' comprises 3 species:<ref name="CoL_75D4"/>
*''[Pulchrocladia corallaizon](/source/Pulchrocladia_corallaizon)'' {{au|(F.Wilson ex Filson) S.Stenroos, Pino-Bodas & Ahti (2018)}}
*''[Pulchrocladia ferdinandii](/source/Pulchrocladia_ferdinandii)'' {{au|(Müll.Arg.) S.Stenroos, Pino-Bodas & Ahti (2018)}}
*''[Pulchrocladia retipora](/source/Pulchrocladia_retipora)'' {{au|(Labill.) S.Stenroos, Pino-Bodas & Ahti (2018)}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="CoL_75D4">{{Catalogue of Life |id=75D4 |title=''Pulchrocladia'' |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="Stenroos et al. 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Stenroos |first1=Soili |last2=Pino-Bodas |first2=Raquel |last3=Hyvönen |first3=Jaakko |last4=Lumbsch |first4=Helge Thorsten |last5=Ahti |first5=Teuvo |title=Phylogeny of the family Cladoniaceae (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota) based on sequences of multiple loci |journal=Cladistics |volume=35 |issue=4 |year=2018 |pages=351–384 |doi=10.1111/cla.12363 |pmid=34633698|hdl=10261/247495 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name="Stenroos et. al. 2019">{{cite journal |last1=Stenroos |first1=Soili |last2=Pino-Bodas |first2=Raquel |last3=Ahti |first3=Teuvo |title=''Rexiella'', a new name for ''Rexia'' S. Stenroos, Pino-Bodas & Ahti (2018), non ''Rexia'' D. A. Casamatta, S. R. Gomez & J. R. Johansen (2006) |journal=Cladistics |volume=35 |issue=5 |year=2019 |page=603 |doi=10.1111/cla.12401 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

<ref name="Wijayawardene et al. 2022">{{cite journal |display-authors=6 |last1=Wijayawardene |first1=N.N. |last2=Hyde |first2=K.D. |last3=Dai |first3=D.Q. |last4=Sánchez-García |first4=M. |last5=Goto |first5=B.T. |last6=Saxena |first6=R.K. |last7=Erdoğdu |first7=M. |last8=Selçuk |first8=F. |last9=Rajeshkumar |first9=K.C. |last10=Aptroot |first10=A. |last11=Błaszkowski |first11=J. |last12=Boonyuen |first12=N. |last13=da Silva |first13=G. |last14=de Souza |first14=F.A. |last15=Dong |first15=W. |last16=Ertz |first16=D. |last17=Haelewaters |first17=D. |last18=Jones |first18=E.B. |last19=Karunarathna |first19=S.C. |last20=Kirk |first20=P.M. |last21=Kukwa |first21=M. |last22=Kumla |first22=J. |last23=Leontyev |first23=D.V. |last24=Lumbsch |first24=H.T. |last25=Maharachchikumbura |first25=S.S.N. |last26=Marguno |first26=F. |last27=Martínez-Rodríguez |first27=P. |last28=Mešić |first28=A. |last29=Monteiro |first29=J.S. |last30=Oehl |first30=F. |last31=Pawłowska |first31=J. |last32=Pem |first32=D. |last33=Pfliegler |first33=W.P. |last34=Phillips |first34=A.J.L. |last35=Pošta |first35=A. |last36=He |first36=M.Q. |last37=Li |first37=J.X. |last38=Raza |first38=M. |last39=Sruthi |first39=O.P. |last40=Suetrong |first40=S. |last41=Suwannarach |first41=N. |last42=Tedersoo |first42=L. |last43=Thiyagaraja |first43=V. |last44=Tibpromma |first44=S. |last45=Tkalčec |first45=Z. |last46=Tokarev |first46=Y.S. |last47=Wanasinghe |first47=D.N. |last48=Wijesundara |first48=D.S.A. |last49=Wimalaseana |first49=S.D.M.K. |last50=Madrid |first50=H. |last51=Zhang |first51=G.Q. |last52=Gao |first52=Y. |last53=Sánchez-Castro |first53=I. |last54=Tang |first54=L.Z. |last55=Stadler |first55=M. |last56=Yurkov |first56=A. |last57=Thines |first57=M. |year=2022 |title=Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa – 2021 |journal=Mycosphere |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=53–453 |doi=10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358798332 |doi-access=free|hdl=10481/76378 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q105498885}}

Category:Cladoniaceae
Category:Lecanorales genera
Category:Lichen genera
Category:Taxa described in 2018
Category:Taxa named by Teuvo Ahti
Category:Taxa named by Soili Stenroos
Category:Taxa named by Helge Thorsten Lumbsch

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pulchrocladia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulchrocladia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulchrocladia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.