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 ...
of
leprose lichen
Lichens are composite organisms made up of multiple species: a fungal partner, one or more photosynthetic partners, and sometimes a basidiomycete yeast. They are regularly grouped by their external appearance – a characteristic known as the ...
s. It is in the family
Caliciaceae
The Caliciaceae are a family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. Although the family has had its classification changed several times throughout its taxonomic history, the use of m ...
.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose
ascospores
An ascus (; ) is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. Each ascus usually contains eight ascospores (or octad), produced by meiosis followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or ...
that are enclosed by a cup shaped
exciple
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.dressmaker's pin (called a mazaedium), hence the common name pin lichen.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, They are also commonly called stubble lichens.
They have been used as
indicator species
A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other sma ...
for
old growth redwood forest
''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...
s.
Evolutionary history
The discovery of a ''Calicium''-like fossil in
Baltic amber
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 1 ...
dating back 55–35
myr
The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds.
Usage
Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago). ...
indicates that the main distinguishing characteristics of this genus have persisted for at least tens of millions of years. A fossil-calibrated
phylogeny
A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spe ...
that includes this fossil suggests that the family Caliciaceae
diversified
Diversification may refer to:
Biology and agriculture
* Genetic divergence, emergence of subpopulations that have accumulated independent genetic changes
* Agricultural diversification involves the re-allocation of some of a farm's resources to ...
from its
most recent common ancestor
In biology and genetic genealogy, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA), also known as the last common ancestor (LCA) or concestor, of a set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all the organisms of the set are descended. The ...
103–156 Myr ago in the early
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
.
Species
,
Species Fungorum
''Index Fungorum'' is an international project to index all formal names ( scientific names) in the fungus kingdom. the project is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, one of three partners along with Landcare Research and the Institute of ...
Calicium carolinianum
''Calicium carolinianum'' is a species of lichen in the family Caliciaceae. It is endemic to the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the United States. The lichen contains norstictic acid, and has ascospores that measure 13–17 by 8–9 μm.
T ...
''
* ''
Calicium chlorosporum
''Calicium chlorosporum'' is a crustose lichen that is found growing on trees throughout much of the world.
The lichen has a pale brownish yellow to beige, verrucose, areolate or subimmersed thallus
Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized G ...
''
* ''
Calicium contortum
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance of a ...
''
* ''
Calicium corynellum
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance of a ...
''
* ''
Calicium diploellum
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance of a ...
''
* ''
Calicium glaucellum
''Calicium glaucellum'' is a crustose lichen that is found growing on trees throughout much of the world.
The species is similar to '' Calicium abietinum,'' it has an immersed or rarely superficial dark grayish green thallus and ascomata that a ...
''
* ''
Calicium glebosum
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance of a ...
''
* ''
Calicium hyperelloides
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance of a ...
''
* ''
Calicium indicum
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance of a ...
''
* ''
Calicium laevigatum
''Calicium laevigatum'' is a crustose lichen that is found growing on tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may ...
Calicium lenticulare
''Calicium lenticulare'' is a crustose lichen that is found growing on trees in the South West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compa ...
Calicium lutescens
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance ...
''
* ''
Calicium martinii
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance ...
''
* ''
Calicium muriformis
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance ...
''
* ''
Calicium nobile
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance ...
''
* ''
Calicium notarisii
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance ...
''
* ''
Calicium parvum
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance ...
''
* ''
Calicium pinicola
''Calicium pinicola'' is a species of lignicolous (wood-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. It is widely distributed in Europe, and also occurs in the United States.
Taxonomy
The lichen was first formally described as new t ...
''
* ''
Calicium pleuriseptatum
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance ...
''
* ''
Calicium pyriforme
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance ...
''
* ''
Calicium quercinum
''Calicium quercinum'' is a species of lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Calicium robustellum
''Calicium robustellum'' is a crustose lichen that is found growing on trees in the Gascoyne
The Gascoyne region is one of the nine administrative regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northwest of Western Australia, and cons ...
Calicium tricolor
''Calicium tricolor'' is a crustose lichen that is found growing on tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be ...
''
* ''
Calicium verrucosum
''Calicium'' is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae.
The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance ...
''
* ''
Calicium victorianum
''Calicium victorianum'' is a crustose lichen that is found growing on trees and wooden materials.
It has a greyish white almost inconspicuous thallus with a thin crust that is usually immersed and around thick.
It is found mostly in the sou ...
''
* ''
Calicium viride
''Calicium viride'', commonly known as the green stubble lichen, is a species of pin lichen in the family Caliciaceae, and the type species of the genus ''Calicium''. It is a common and widely distributed species in temperate areas of the Nort ...