# Sparria

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***Sparria*** is a small [genus](/source/Genus) of [lichen](/source/Lichen)-forming [fungi](/source/Fungi) in the family [Opegraphaceae](/source/Opegraphaceae).[1][2]

## Taxonomy

The genus was [circumscribed](/source/Circumscription_(taxonomy)) in 2011 by the lichenologists Damien Ertz and Anders Tehler, with *[Sparria cerebriformis](/source/Sparria_cerebriformis)* assigned as the [type species](/source/Type_species). This European species, originally described in the genus *[Opegrapha](/source/Opegrapha)*, was later more well known as *[Arthonia](/source/Arthonia) endlicheri*. The genus name honours the Dutch lichenologist Laurens Sparrius, "for his contribution to the [Arthoniales](/source/Arthoniales)".[3]

## Description

The genus *Sparria* consists of crustose lichens that grow on rocks. The [thallus](/source/Thallus), or lichen body, is typically thick and can vary in texture from smooth and continuous to cracked () or wart-like (, and it may sometimes appear as raised, bubble-like structures (). The surface of the thallus is covered by a protective layer, known as the . The symbiotic algae within the lichen belong to the [green algal](/source/Green_alga) genus *[Trenteophlia](/source/Trentepohlia_(alga))*.[3] The reproductive structures in *Sparria*, the [ascomata](/source/Ascomata), are (elongated and slit-like) to (tree-like) in shape. These structures are usually embedded within the thallus and often cluster together to form rounded or elongated, -like formations. The hymenial , where the spores develop, is narrow and typically coated with a white, powdery substance known as . The , which is the outer layer surrounding the [hymenium](/source/Hymenium), is dark brown, as is the —the layer beneath the hymenium—which extends down to the , anchoring the lichen.[3]

Inside the ascomata, the supporting structures for the spores, called , are branched and interconnected ([anastomosing](/source/Anastomosis). The [asci](/source/Ascus), where the spores are produced, are cylindrical to club-shaped and contain eight spores. The ascospores are oblong-[ellipsoid](/source/Ellipsoid) to spindle-shaped (), tapering at one end. When young, the spores are colourless ([hyaline](/source/Hyaline)) but turn brown as they mature. These spores are somewhat , meaning they have several transverse and longitudinal divisions, and are encased in a distinct gelatinous sheath.[3]

*Sparria* also reproduces asexually through [pycnidia](/source/Pycnidia), which are flask-shaped structures embedded in the thallus. The [conidia](/source/Conidia) (asexual spores) produced by the pycnidia are thread-like () and slightly curved.[3]

Chemically, *Sparria* species contain [lecanoric acid](/source/Lecanoric_acid), and some species also produce [erythrin](/source/Erythrin), another [secondary metabolite](/source/Secondary_metabolite).[3]

## Species

- *[Sparria caboverdensis](/source/Sparria_caboverdensis)* [4] – [Cape Verde](/source/Cape_Verde)
- *[Sparria cerebriformis](/source/Sparria_cerebriformis)*
- *[Sparria endlicheri](/source/Sparria_endlicheri)*

## References

1. 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"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358798332). *Mycosphere*. **13** (1): 53–453 [89]. [doi:10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2](https://doi.org/10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2). [hdl:1854/LU-8754813](https://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8754813)

1. Ertz, Damien & Tehler, Anders (2010). "The phylogeny of Arthoniales (Pezizomycotina) inferred from nucLSU and RPB2 sequences". *Fungal Diversity*. **49** (1): 47–71. [doi:10.1007/s13225-010-0080-y](https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-010-0080-y)

1. Ertz, Damien & Tehler, Anders (2023). "New species of Arthoniales from Cape Verde with an enlarged concept of the genus *Ingaderia*". *The Lichenologist*. **55** (1): 1–15. [doi:10.1017/S0024282922000408](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282922000408)

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