Biology:Variospora thallincola
| Variospora thallincola | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Teloschistales |
| Family: | Teloschistaceae |
| Genus: | Variospora |
| Species: | V. thallincola
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| Binomial name | |
| Variospora thallincola (Wedd.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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List
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Variospora thallincola is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae.[2]
Taxonomy
It was formally described as a new species in 1875 by the botanist Hugh Algernon Weddell, who named it Lecanora murorum var. thallincola.[3] Gustaf Einar Du Rietz raised it to species status in 1925, as Caloplaca thallincola.[4] Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred the taxon to the genus Variospora in 2013, following a molecular phylogenetics-based restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae.[5]
Description
Variospora thallincola is characterised by its [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]], bright orange thallus that forms closely appressed, circular structures resembling cartwheels, each measuring 3–4 cm in diameter. The thallus features convex, finger-like [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] ends, around 0.3–0.7 mm broad, which lie closely together and are separated by frequently parallel furrows. The central area of the thallus is convex and [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]], and lacks [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]], a powdery or waxy coating.[6]
The species develops apothecia, the fruiting structures, which can be up to 0.8 mm in diameter and are generally scattered across the central area of the thallus. The [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] of the apothecia is orange and becomes excluded as they age. The [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] of these apothecia are brown-orange in colour and transform from flat to convex over time. Within the apothecia, the paraphyses (sterile filamentous structures) are loose, with some being [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] while most fork towards their tips, which are slightly swollen. The [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] of Variospora thallincola are distinctive for their swollen, lemon-shaped appearance, measuring 11–14 by 8–11 μm with a septum width of 4–5 μm, accounting for half the length of the ascospore. Both the thallus and the apothecia react to a potassium hydroxide (K) spot test by turning purple.[6]
Habitat and distribution
Found on rocky coasts with siliceous stone, Variospora thallincola typically grows in the mesic to submesic-supralittoral zones. It prefers north-facing rock surfaces that are shaded. The lichen is widely distributed, having been reported from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.[6]
References
- ↑ "Synonymy. Current Name: Variospora thallincola (Wedd.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting [as 'thallinicola', Nordic Jl Bot. 31(1): 77 (2013)"]. Species Fungorum. https://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/SynSpecies.asp?RecordID=802249.
- ↑ "Variospora thallincola (Wedd.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting". Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/7FHCD.
- ↑ Weddell, H.A. (1875). "Excursion lichenologique dans l'ile d'Yeu sur la cote de la Vendée". Mémoires de la Société Impériale des Sciences Naturelles de Cherbourg 19: 251–316.
- ↑ Du Rietz, G.E. (1925) (in de). Götländische Vegetationsstudien. p. 50.
- ↑ Arup, Ulf; Søchting, Ulrik; Frödén, Patrik (2013). "A new taxonomy of the family Teloschistaceae". Nordic Journal of Botany 31 (1): 16–83 [77]. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2013.00062.x.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Fletcher, A.; Laundon, J.R. (2009). "Caloplaca Th. Fr. (1860)". The Lichens of Great Britain and Ireland (2nd ed.). London: The Natural History Museum. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-9540418-8-5.
Wikidata ☰ Q25412632 entry
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