Paralecia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Cladoniaceae
Genus: Paralecia
Brackel, Greiner, Peršoh & Rambold (2015)
Species:
P. pratorum
Binomial name
Paralecia pratorum
Brackel, Greiner, Peršoh & Rambold (2015)

Paralecia is a monotypic fungal genus in the family Cladoniaceae.[1] It contains a single species, the lichenicolous fungus Paralecia pratorum, found in Europe.

Taxonomy

Both the species and the genus were described as new to science in 2015 by Wolfgang von Brackel, Katrin Greiner, Derek Peršoh, and Gerhard Rambold. The type specimen was collected in Tuscany, Italy, in Prati di Logarghena above the city of Pontremoli. Here it was found growing on the lichen Protoparmeliopsis muralis, which itself was growing on schistose rock outcrops in a meadow, at an altitude of 845 m (2,772 ft). The genus name Paralecia combines para- (meaning "along with, beside") and lecia, which refers to the lecideine apothecia produced by the fungus. The specific epithet pratorum, which is derived from the Latin pratum (meaning "meadow"), alludes to the type locality – the meadows of Logarghena.[2]

Initially, the genus was tentatively placed in the family Squamarinaceae, because DNA analysis suggested a close relationship to genus Squamarina.[2] In 2018, Kraichak and colleagues revised the Lecanoromycetes to use temporal-based classification, and placed the Squamarinaceae in synonymy with the Cladoniaceae.[3]

Description

Paralecia pratorum is endothallic, meaning it grows within the tissue of its host. Its apothecia eventually break through the cortex of its host; these structures are black, more or less round with a flattened to convex top, and measure 0.2–0.45 in diameter. The apothecia produce ascospores that are hyaline (translucent), ellipsoid in shape, and typical have dimensions of 11.8–13.7 by 4.7–5.6 μm. The fungus does not appear to harm its host, but causes the formation of new lobes, and somewhat inhibits the formation of host apothecia.[3]

Distribution

In addition to its initial report from Italy, the fungus has subsequently been recorded from Montenegro[4] and Sweden.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Wijayawardene, Nalin; Hyde, Kevin; Al-Ani, Laith Khalil Tawfeeq; Somayeh, Dolatabadi; Stadler, Marc; Haelewaters, Danny; et al. (2020). "Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa". Mycosphere. 11: 1060–1456. doi:10.5943/mycosphere/11/1/8. hdl:10481/61998.
  2. 1 2 Liu, Jian Kui; Hyde, Kevin D.; Jones, E. B. Gareth; Ariyawansa, Hiran A.; Bhat, Darbhe J.; Boonmee, Saranyaphat; et al. (2015). "Fungal diversity notes 1–110: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal species". Fungal Diversity. 72 (1): 1–197. doi:10.1007/s13225-015-0324-y. S2CID 15376509.
  3. 1 2 Kraichak, Ekaphan; Crespo, Ana; Divakar, Pradeep K.; Leavitt, Steven D.; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten (2017). "A temporal banding approach for consistent taxonomic ranking above the species level". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 2297. Bibcode:2017NatSR...7.2297K. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-02477-7. PMC 5442095. PMID 28536470.
  4. ↑ Hafellner, Josef; Mayrhofer, Helmut (2021). "Noteworthy records of lichenicolous fungi from various countries on the Balkan Peninsula. II". Herzogia. 33 (2): 494–511. doi:10.13158/heia.33.2.2020.494. S2CID 231704516.
  5. ↑ Svensson, Måns; Ekman, Stefan; Klepsland, Jon T.; Nordin, Anders; Thor, Göran; von Hirschheydt, Gesa; Jonsson, Fredrik; Knutsson, Tommy; Lif, Mattias; Spribille, Toby; Westberg, Martin (2017). "Taxonomic novelties and new records of Fennoscandian crustose lichens". MycoKeys. 25: 51–86. doi:10.3897/mycokeys.25.13375.
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