''Candelariella'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of bright yellow, ocher, or greenish yellow

crustose Crustose is a Habit (biology), habit of some types of algae and lichens in which the organism grows tightly appressed to a substrate, forming a biological layer. ''Crustose'' adheres very closely to the Substrate (biology), substrates at all poin ...

squamulose A squamulose lichen is a lichen that is composed of small, often overlapping "scales" called . If they are raised from the substrate and appear leafy, the lichen may appear to be a foliose lichen, but the underside does not have a "skin" (cortex) ...

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

s in the family

Candelariaceae ''Candelariaceae'' is a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Candelariales. It contains seven genera and about 73 species of lichens that are typically characterised by their bright yellow colour. These lichens have diverse growth forms, ...

. Members of the genus are commonly called eggyolk lichens,Name Search Results for Scientific Name Candelariella, USDA
/ref> goldspeck lichens, or yolk lichens. The genus was

circumscribed In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle. * Circum ...

in 1894 by Swiss lichenologist

Johannes Müller Argoviensis Johann Müller (9 May 1828 – 28 January 1896) was a Swiss botanist who was a specialist in lichens. He published under the name Johannes Müller Argoviensis to distinguish himself from other naturalists with similar names. Biography Müller ...

, with '' Candelariella vitellina'' assigned as the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

Characteristics

The key feature of ''Candelariella'' species are the distinct yellow

apothecia An ascocarp, or ascoma (: ascomata), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. As ...

. Although all species are very small, even the smallest can be identified by the lemon-yellow to orange-yellow discs. Most species have a yellow thallus, although '' Candelariella antennaria'' is one example with a grey

thallus Thallus (: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. A thallus usually names the entir ...

. Some species are pycnidiate. This genus will generally have all spot tests emerge as negative, although K tests may have an orange or reddish colour on some species' apothecia. Spore count between species varies from 8 to 32 simply or thinly

septate In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Human anatomy * Interatrial se ...

spores. Spores often hold one to two oil drops.

Habitat and distribution

''Candelariella'' species are found across the globe, although most commonly described in North America, Asia, and Australia. Species can be found on

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime (mineral), lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of Science, scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcare ...

and non-calcareous rock, soil, tree bark, mosses, and other lichens. While some species may grow only on rock, and others only on trees, the more generalist species can be found in a variety of locations.

Species interactions

As of 2016, 16

lichenicolous fungi A lichenicolous fungus is a member of a specialised group of fungi that live exclusively on lichens as their host (biology), host organisms. These fungi, comprising over 2,000 known species across 280 genera, exhibit a wide range of ecological st ...

have been documented parasitising species of the genus ''Candellariella''. These are: '' Tremella candelariellae'', '' Polysporina subfuscescens'', '' Sarcogyne sphaeospora'', '' Arthonia almquistii'', '' Caloplaca grimmiae'', ''

Carbonea vitellinaria ''Carbonea vitellaria'' is a species of lichenicolous fungus belonging to the family Lecanoraceae. It has a worldwide distribution. In Iceland it has been reported growing on '' Candelariella vitellina'' near Egilsstaðir Egilsstaðir () is a ...

'', ''

Trichonectria furcatosetosa ''Trichonectria'' is a genus of fungus, fungi in the class Sordariomycetes. Species , Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts 21 species of ''Trichonectria'': * ''Trichonectria albidopilosa'' * ''Trichonectria apiculata'' * ''Trich ...

'', '' Lichenochora arctica'', '' Sarcopyrenia cylindrospora'', '' Zwackhiomyces lecanorae'', ''

Phoma candelariellae ''Phoma candelariellae'' is a species of lichenicolous (lichen-eating) fungus in the family Didymellaceae. It is found in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey and in Ukraine, where it grows parasitically on the apothecia (fruiting structures ...

'', '' Henfellra muriformis'', '' Ascochyta candelariellicola'', '' Taeniolella delicata'', '' Intralichen christiansenii'', and '' Intralichen lichenicola''.

Species

Candelariella aggregata - Flickr - pellaea

*'' Candelariella aggregata'' *'' Candelariella ahtii'' *'' Candelariella antennaria'' *'' Candelariella arctica'' *''

Candelariella aurella ''Candelariella aurella'', the hidden goldspeck lichen or eggyolk lichen, is a yellow crustose lichen in the family Candelariaceae. It is commonly found on calcareous rock or wood or bark exposed to sunlight and which may have calcareous dust i ...

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

*'' Candelariella flavovirella'' *'' Candelariella granuliformis'' *'' Candelariella hakulinenii'' *'' Candelariella immarginata'' *'' Candelariella lichenicola'' *'' Candelariella makarevichiae'' *''

Candelariella medians ''Candelariella'' is a genus of bright yellow, ocher, or greenish yellow crustose or squamulose lichens in the family Candelariaceae. Members of the genus are commonly called eggyolk lichens, goldspeck lichens, or yolk lichens. The genus was cir ...

'' *'' Candelariella reflexa'' *'' Candelariella rosulans'' *'' Candelariella rubrisoli'' *'' Candelariella ruzgarii'' *'' Candelariella superdistans'' *'' Candelariella vainioana'' *'' Candelariella vitellina'' *'' Candelariella xanthostigma'' *'' Candelariella xanthostigmoides''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5031656 Lichen genera Taxa named by Johannes Müller Argoviensis Taxa described in 1894