Siphula
TaxonSiphula
AuthorityFr. (1831)
Type speciesSiphula ceratites
Type species authority(Wahlenb.) Fr. (1831)
Subdivision ranksSpecies
Subdivision22
Synonyms

Siphula is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Icmadophilaceae. The widespread genus was circumscribed by the Swedish mycologist Elias Fries in 1831.[2]

Description

The genus Siphula includes lichens with a shrubby, upright thallus (the lichen body) that is sparsely branched and has a whitish appearance. The outer surface, or , is , meaning it consists of densely packed cells resembling plant parenchyma (common plant tissue). Siphula species partner with algae, a type of green algae that supplies the lichen with energy through photosynthesis.[3]

Inside the thallus, the medulla (inner tissue layer) is compact and has fungal filaments (hyphae) that are generally aligned in a longitudinal direction. No reproductive structures, such as apothecia (spore-producing bodies) or conidiomata (asexual spore-producing bodies), have been observed to occur in this genus.[3]

Chemically, Siphula lichens contain various compounds including p- and m-depsides, dibenzofurans, and chromones, such as the compound siphulin.[3]

Habitat and distribution

Siphula species are found growing on peaty soils and on acid-leached bark in temperate rainforests as well as in wet alpine environments. This genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring across various regions worldwide.[3]

Species

As of October 2024, Species Fungorum accepts 22 species of Siphula:[4]

References

  1. ^ Hue, A. (1914). "Lichenes novos vel melius cognitos" (in Latin). Annales Mycologici. 12 (6): 509–534.
  2. ^ Fries, E.M. (1831). Lichenographia Europaea Reformata [Reformed European Lichenography] (in Latin). pp. 7, 406.
  3. ^ Lambley, P. & Purvis, O.W. (2009). "Siphula Fr. (1831)". The Lichens of Great Britain and Ireland. Smith, C.W.; Aptroot, A.; Coppins, B.J.; Fletcher, A.; Gilbert, O.L.; James, P.W.; Wolseley, P.A. (eds.). London: British Lichen Society. p. 841.
  4. ^ "Species Fungorum - Search Page". www.speciesfungorum.org. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
  5. ^ Kantvilas, G. (2004). "New Australian species in the lichen genus Siphula Fr.". Austrobaileya. 6 (4): 949–955. doi:10.5962/p.299704
  6. ^ Kantvilas, G. (2023). "Three new species of siphuloid lichens, with a first key to the genus Parasiphula". The Lichenologist. 55 (1): 17–25. doi:10.1017/S0024282922000421
  7. ^ Marcano, V. (2021). "The genus Siphula Fr. (Icmadophilaceae, Lichenized Fungi) in Venezuela". Phytotaxa. 489 (1): 10–26. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.489.1.2
  8. ^ Nylander, W. (1860). Synopsis Methodica Lichenum Omnium hucusque Cognitorum, Praemissa Introductione Lingua Gallica [Methodical Synopsis of All Known Lichens, With an Introduction in French] (in Latin). Vol. 1. pp. 141–430.
  9. ^ Nylander, W. (1888). Lichenes Novae Zelandiae [Lichens of New Zealand] (in Latin). Paris: Paul Schmidt. pp. 1–156.
  10. ^ Nylander, William (1863). "Prodromus Florae Novo-Granatensis ou enumeration des plantes de la Nouvelle-Grenade. Lichenes" [Prodrome of the Flora of New Granada or enumeration of plants from New Granada. Lichens] (in Latin). Annales des Sciences Naturelles. Botanique. 19: 286–382. 4.
  11. ^ Kantvilas, G.; Zedda, L.; Elix, J.A. (2003). "A remarkable new species of Siphula (lichenized fungi) from South Africa". Herzogia. 16: 21–25.
  12. ^ Kantvilas, G. (1998). "Studies on the lichen genus Siphula in Tasmania II. The S. decumbens group". Herzogia. 13: 119–138. doi:10.1127/herzogia/13/1998/119
  13. ^ Marcano, V. & Castillo, L. (2021). "Siphula paramensis V. Marcano & L. Castillo (Icmadophilaceae, lichenized fungi), a new species from the high paramo in Venezuela". Phytotaxa. 512 (3): 169–178. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.512.3.4
  14. ^ Nylander, W.illiam (1859). "Lichenes in regionibus exoticis quibusdam vigentes exponit synopticis enumerationibus" [Synoptic enumeration of lichens growing in certain exotic regions] (in Latin). Annales des Sciences Naturelles. Botanique. 11: 205–264. 4.
  15. ^ Santesson, R. (1966). "On the typification of some lichen names published by Gmelin". Botaniska Notiser