''Austroroccella'' is a single-species

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

in the family

Roccellaceae The Roccellaceae are a family of fungi in the order Arthoniomycetes. Most taxa are lichenized with green algae, although some are lichenicolous, growing on other lichens. Genera , Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts 47 genera ...

. It contains ''Austroroccella gayana'', a

saxicolous A saxicolous lichen is a lichen that grows on rock. The prefix "sax" from the Latin means "rock" or "stone". Characteristics Saxicolous lichens exhibit very slow growth rates. They may develop on rock substrates for long periods of time, giv ...

(rock-dwelling),

fruticose lichen A fruticose lichen is a form of lichen fungi that is characterized by a coral-like shrubby or bushy growth structure. It is formed from a symbiotic relationship of a photobiont such as green algae or less commonly cyanobacteria and one, two or m ...

. This lichen produces dark to black s lacking

pruina Pruinescence , or pruinosity, is a "frosted" or dusty-looking coating on top of a surface. It may also be called a pruina (plural: ''pruinae''), from the Latin word for hoarfrost. The adjectival form is pruinose . Entomology In insects, a "blo ...

, and it contains roccellic acid as its only

lichen product Lichen products, also known as lichen substances, are organic compounds produced by a lichen. Specifically, they are secondary metabolites. Lichen products are represented in several different chemical classes, including terpenoids, orcinol de ...

. The genus was

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every po ...

in 2013 by Anders Tehler, Martin Irestedt, and Damien Ertz based on

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

analysis that showed that the species belongs in an isolated clade in the Roccellaceae along with '' Dendrographa'', ''

Syncesia ''Syncesia'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellaceae. Species *'' Syncesia afromontana'' – Africa *'' Syncesia byssolomoides'' – Brazil *'' Syncesia farinacea'' *'' Syncesia indica'' – India *'' Syncesia madagasc ...

'', and ''

Roccellina ''Roccellina'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellaceae. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed in 1898 by British botanist Otto Vernon Darbishire with '' Roccellina condensata'' as the type, and at that time, only species. A ...

''.

References

Roccellaceae Lichen genera Taxa described in 2013 Arthoniomycetes genera {{Arthoniomycetes-stub