{{Short description|Genus of lichen}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Use Oxford spelling|date=October 2025}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Species of Varicellaria (10.3897-mycokeys.4.3545) Figure 2G.jpg | image_caption = ''Varicellaria rhodocarpa'' | taxon = Varicellaria | parent_authority = B.P.Hodk., R.C.Harris & Lendemer ex Lumbsch & Leavitt (2018) | authority = Nyl. (1858) | type_species = ''Varicellaria microsticta'' | type_species_authority = Nyl. (1858) | synonyms_ref = <ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy"/><ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/> | synonyms = *''Varicellariomyces'' {{au|Cif. & Tomas. (1953)}} *''Clausaria'' {{au|Nyl. (1861)}} }}
'''''Varicellaria''''' is a genus of crustose lichens. It is the only genus in the family '''Varicellariaceae'''.<ref name="Wijayawardene et al. 2022"/> The genus contains 12 recognized species found worldwide. These lichens typically form pale bluish-grey or whitish-grey crusts on tree bark or rocks, and they produce a lichen product called lecanoric acid. Genetic studies have helped clarify the boundaries between species in this group, showing that where they grow (bark versus rock) and certain physical features are important for telling them apart.
==Taxonomy==
The genus ''Varicellaria'' was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1858, with ''Varicellaria microsticta'' assigned as the type species.<ref name="Nylander 1857"/><ref name="GBIF" /> Nylander's type species ''V. microsticta'' is treated as the same species as ''V. rhodocarpa'' in Schmitt and colleagues 2012 re-circumscription; Nylander's later segregate ''Clausaria'' (type 'Clausaria fallens' ≡ ''V. velata'') is placed in synonymy with ''Varicellaria''.<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/>
A multilocus phylogeny sampling lecanoric acid ''Pertusaria''/''Varicellaria'' species recovered a strongly supported ''Varicellaria'' clade that is distant from ''Pertusaria'' in the strict sense. On this basis the genus was re-circumscribed to include species with disc-like apothecia, a non-amyloid hymenial gel, strongly amyloid asci with 1–2 spores, and 1- or 2-celled thick-walled ascospores; all species produce lecanoric acid and may also contain lichexanthone or variolaric acid. The 2012 treatment accepted seven species and effected the new combinations ''V. culbersonii'', ''V. hemisphaerica'', ''V. kasandjeffii'', ''V. lactea'', ''V. philippina'', with ''V. rhodocarpa'' and ''V. velata'' also placed in the genus; two names (''kasandjeffii'', ''philippina'') were included on morphology/chemistry due to lack of fresh material.<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/>
The family Varicellariaceae, containing only the type genus ''Varicellaria'', was informally proposed by Brendan Hodkinson, Richard Harris, and James Lendemer in 2011.<ref name="Hodkinson & Lendemer 2011"/> H. Thorsten Lumbsch and Steven Leavitt formally published the family in 2018.<ref name="Kraichak et al. 2018"/> However, the taxon was not validly published because "an identifier issued by a recognized repository was not cited in the protologue", contrary to rules of botanical nomenclature.<ref name="Index Fungorum: Varicellariaceae"/> This nomenclatural oversight was rectified later the same year in a separate publication.<ref name="Kraichak et al. 2018b"/>
==Description==
Characteristics of the family Varicellariaceae are similar to those of its genus. These are: a crustose thallus, unicellular green algal photobionts from genus ''Trebouxia'', ascomata in the form of disc-like apothecia, non-amyloid gel in the hymenium, strongly amyloid, one- or two-spored asci, and hyaline, thick-walled, one-layered, one- or two-celled ascospores.<ref name="Kraichak et al. 2018"/>
''Varicellaria'' species are characterised by a pale bluish-grey or whitish grey thallus, which can be smooth and thin or cracked and thick. They typically have convex soralia that are paler or the same colour as the thallus. Apothecia (fruiting bodies) are rare in these species.<ref name="Kosecka & Oset 2024"/>
Varicellaria species are associated with green algae from the genus ''Trebouxia''. Specifically, they have been found to associate with ''Trebouxia'' sp. OTU A03.<ref name="Kosecka & Oset 2024"/>
The major secondary metabolite in ''Varicellaria'' species is lecanoric acid. Some specimens may also contain variolaric acid, but its presence is not a reliable diagnostic feature for species identification.<ref name="Kosecka & Oset 2024"/> Some contain lichexanthone.<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/>
==Habitat and distribution== thumb|right|''Varicellaria lactea'' Collectively, the species in genus ''Varicellaria'' have a cosmopolitan distribution.<ref name="GBIF">{{cite web |title=''Varicellaria'' Nyl. |url=https://www.gbif.org/species/3269466 |website=www.gbif.org |access-date=12 February 2021}}</ref> ''Varicellaria'' species show diverse {{lichengloss|substrate}} preferences. Some species, like ''V. hemisphaerica'', are primarily corticolous (growing on bark), while others, such as ''V. lactea'', are saxicolous (growing on rocks). These habitat preferences play a role in species delimitation.<ref name="Kosecka & Oset 2024"/> Within this broad pattern, species show distinct ranges and substrates: ''V. rhodocarpa'' occurs on soil, detritus or mosses in arctic–alpine habitats of the Northern Hemisphere; ''V. velata'' is cosmopolitan; ''V. philippina'' is so far confirmed only from the Philippines and Papua New Guinea; ''V. kasandjeffii'' is restricted to siliceous rock in the Balkan region; and ''V. culbersonii'' occurs on soil, detritus or mosses at high elevations in Central America.<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/> Consistent with recent work, ''V. hemisphaerica'' is mainly corticolous (rarely on rock) whereas ''V. lactea'' is mainly saxicolous (rarely on bark); substrate shift between bark and rock is a likely axis of divergence within this pair.<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/><ref name="Kosecka & Oset 2024"/>
==Species==
Recent molecular phylogenetics studies have helped clarify species boundaries within ''Varicellaria''. These studies have shown that substrate preference and soredia size are important factors in distinguishing between species. Molecular data, combined with morphological and chemical characteristics, have proven essential for accurate species identification.<ref name="Kosecka & Oset 2024"/>
As of 2024, there are 12 recognised species in the genus ''Varicellaria'':<ref name="Kosecka & Oset 2024"/> *''Varicellaria culbersonii'' {{au|(Vězda) I.Schmitt & Lumbsch (2012)}}<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/> *''Varicellaria emeiensis'' {{au|Q.Ren (2018)}}<ref name="Zhou & Ren 2018"/> – China *''Varicellaria hemisphaerica'' {{au|(Flörke) I.Schmitt & Lumbsch (2012)}}<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/> *''Varicellaria kasandjeffii'' {{au|(Szatala) I.Schmitt & Lumbsch (2012)}}<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/> *''Varicellaria lactea'' {{au|(L.) I.Schmitt & Lumbsch (2012)}}<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/> *''Varicellaria microsticta'' {{au|Nyl. (1858)}}<ref name="Nylander 1857"/> *''Varicellaria philippina'' {{au|(Vain.) I.Schmitt & Lumbsch (2012)}}<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/> *''Varicellaria rhodocarpa'' {{au|(Körb.) Th.Fr. (1871)}} *''Varicellaria velata'' {{au|(Turner) I.Schmitt & Lumbsch (2012)}}<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012"/> *''Varicellaria cacuminuminum'' {{au|Fryday (2022)}}<ref name="Kosecka & Oset 2024"/>
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<ref name="Hodkinson & Lendemer 2011">{{cite journal |last1=Hodkinson |first1=B.P. |last2=Lendemer |first2=J. |year=2011 |title=The orders of Ostropomycetidae (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota): Recognition of Sarrameanales and Trapeliales with a request to retain Pertusariales over Agyriales |journal=Phytologia |volume=93 |issue=3 |pages=407–412 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47195855}}</ref>
<ref name="Index Fungorum: Varicellariaceae">{{cite web |title=Record Details: Varicellariaceae B.P. Hodk., R.C. Harris & Lendemer ex Lumbsch & Leavitt, in Kraichak, Huang, Nelsen, Leavitt & Lumbsch, Bot. J. Linn. Soc.: 10.1093/botlinnean/boy060, 15 (2018) |url=http://www.indexfungorum.org/names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=92089 |publisher=Index Fungorum |access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref>
<ref name="Kosecka & Oset 2024">{{cite journal |last1=Kosecka |first1=Magdalena |last2=Oset |first2=Magdalena |year=2024 |title=A shift in substrate requirement might cause speciation of the lichenized fungi, ''Varicellaria hemisphaerica'' and ''V. lactea'' (Pertusariales, Ascomycota) |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=23514 |doi=10.1038/s41598-024-74937-w |pmid=39384908 |doi-access=free|pmc=11464505 |bibcode=2024NatSR..1423514K }}</ref>
<ref name="Kraichak et al. 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Kraichak |first1=Ekaphan |last2=Huang |first2=Jen-Pan |last3=Nelsen |first3=Matthew |last4=Leavitt |first4=Steven D. |last5=Lumbsch |first5=H. Thorsten |title=A revised classification of orders and families in the two major subclasses of Lecanoromycetes (Ascomycota) based on a temporal approach |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |year=2018 |volume=188 |issue=3 |doi=10.1093/botlinnean/boy060 |pages=233–249}}</ref>
<ref name="Kraichak et al. 2018b">{{cite journal |first1=Ekaphan |last1=Kraichak |first2=Jen-Pan |last2=Huang |first3=Matthew |last3=Nelsen |first4=Steven D. |last4=Leavitt |first5=H. Thorsten |last5=Lumbsch |year=2018 |title=Nomenclatural novelties |page=1 |journal=Index Fungorum |issue=375 |issn=2049-2375 |url=http://www.indexfungorum.org/Publications/Index%20Fungorum%20no.375.pdf) }}{{Dead link|date=December 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>
<ref name="Nylander 1857">{{cite journal |last=Nylander |first=W. |year=1857 |title=Enumération générale de lichens, avec l'indication sommaire de leur distribution géographique |trans-title=General catalog of lichens, with a brief indication of their geographic distribution |journal=Mémoires de la Société Impériale des Sciences Naturelles de Cherbourg |volume=5 |pages=117, 119 |language=fr |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12327982}}</ref>
<ref name="Schmitt et al. 2012">{{cite journal |last1=Schmitt |first1=Imke |last2=Otte |first2=Juergen |last3=Parnmen |first3=Sittiporn |last4=Sadowska-Deś |first4=Anna |last5=Luecking |first5=Robert |last6=Lumbsch |first6=Thorsten |title=A new circumscription of the genus ''Varicellaria'' (Pertusariales, Ascomycota) |journal=MycoKeys |issue=4 |year=2012 |doi=10.3897/mycokeys.4.3545 |doi-access=free |pages=23–36}}</ref>
<ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy">{{cite web |title=Synonymy: ''Varicellaria'' Nyl., Mém. Soc. Imp. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 5: 119 (1858) |url=http://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/SynSpecies.asp?RecordID=5712 |publisher=Species Fungorum |access-date=15 April 2021}}</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 |s2cid=249054641 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358798332|doi-access=free |hdl=10481/76378 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
<ref name="Zhou & Ren 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Zhou |first1=J. |last2=Ren |first2=Q. |year=2018 |title=''Varicellaria emeiensis'' sp. nov. and a review of the genus in China |journal=Mycotaxon |volume=133 |issue=1 |pages=71–78|doi=10.5248/133.71 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q10713040}}
Category:Pertusariales Category:Pertusariales genera Category:Lichen genera Category:Taxa described in 1858 Category:Taxa named by William Nylander (botanist)