''Chicitaea'' 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 ...

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 ...

-forming

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

in the family Sarrameanaceae. Established in 2024, it comprises four species that grow as crusts on tree bark in forests across North America, Europe, Australia, and Thailand. The genus was separated from '' Loxospora'' based on

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, ...

evidence and chemical differences, particularly the presence of 2'-''O''-methylperlatolic acid as the main secondary compound. The lichens appear in shades from pale grey-green to olive-grey and can reproduce through both vegetative structures (

soredia Soredia are common reproduction, reproductive structures of lichens. Lichens asexual reproduction, reproduce asexually by employing simple fragmentation and production of soredia and isidia. Soredia are powdery propagules composed of fungus, fung ...

isidia An isidium (plural: isidia) is a tiny, wart- or finger-like outgrowth on the thallus surface of certain lichen species. It is one of two principal types of vegetative reproduction, vegetative reproductive structures in lichens, the other being ...

) and, in one species, through sexual spore-producing structures (

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 ...

Taxonomy

''Chicitaea'' was established as a genus in 2024 by Beata Guzow-Krzemińska, Martin Kukwa, and James Lendemer to accommodate several species previously classified within '' Loxospora''. The genus name honors Chicita F. Culberson (1931–2023), a pioneering American lichenologist known for establishing standardized protocols in lichen chemistry. 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 ...

is ''Chicitaea lecanoriformis'', originally described from Australia.

Molecular phylogenetics 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 ...

analyses revealed that species containing 2'-''O''-methylperlatolic acid formed a distinct

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

group separate from ''Loxospora'' in the strict sense. This chemical difference, combined with distinct morphological features of the reproductive structures, supported recognition at the genus level. Four species were transferred from ''Loxospora'' to the new genus. The genus is classified in the family Sarrameanaceae within the order

Sarrameanales Sarrameanaceae is a family of lichen-forming fungi in the monotypic order Sarrameanales. It contains the genera '' Loxospora'' and '' Sarrameana'', the type genus. The genus '' Chicitaea'' was proposed in 2024 to contain ''Loxospora'' species co ...

of the class

Lecanoromycetes Lecanoromycetes is the largest class of lichenized fungi. It belongs to the subphylum Pezizomycotina in the phylum Ascomycota. The asci (spore-bearing cells) of the Lecanoromycetes most often release spores by rostrate dehiscence. The group is ...

Description

''Chicitaea'' species are

crustose lichen Crustose lichens are lichens that form a crust which strongly adheres to the Substrate (biology), substrate (soil, rock, tree bark, etc.), making separation from the substrate impossible without destruction. The basic structure of crustose lichen ...

s, meaning they grow as a tight crust that adheres closely to their , typically tree bark. The

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 ...

(main body of the lichen) can range from thin to thick and appears in shades from pale grey-green to olive-grey, with a surface that varies from smooth to warty or bumpy. These lichens reproduce in different ways depending on the species. Some produce small powdery structures called

, while others develop small cylindrical outgrowths called

. Both these structures contain both fungal and algal cells, allowing the lichen to reproduce as a unit. Sexual reproduction through disc-like structures (

) is known in only one species, ''C. lecanoriformis''. When present, these apothecia are up to 1.5 mm wide, sitting directly on the thallus surface, and are concave with dark reddish-brown to black centers. The main identifying chemical component found in all ''Chicitaea'' species is 2'-''O''-methylperlatolic acid, which helps distinguish them from similar-looking lichens. This compound can be detected through simple chemical

tests Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

, in which the lichen shows no color change when

potassium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which utili ...

solution (K) is applied, and appears white under

ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...

light (UV). The central portion of the lichen tissue, the

medulla Medulla (Latin for "marrow") or medullary may refer to: Science * Medulla oblongata, a part of the brain stem * Renal medulla, a part of the kidney * Adrenal medulla, a part of the adrenal gland * Medulla of ovary, a stroma in the center of the ...

, shows the same reactions. In ''C. lecanoriformis'', which produces

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

s through sexual reproduction, the spores are simple (not divided into compartments), broadly

ellipsoid An ellipsoid is a surface that can be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional Scaling (geometry), scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation. An ellipsoid is a quadric surface; that is, a Surface (mathemat ...

in shape, and either straight or slightly curved. Each spore-producing cell (

ascus An ascus (; : asci) 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 gen ...

) contains 6–8 spores and lacks the blue-staining dome at its tip (a ) that is characteristic of some related genera when stained with

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

Habitat and distribution

''Chicitaea'' species grow primarily on tree bark (

corticolous This glossary of mycology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to mycology, the study of fungi. Terms in common with other fields, if repeated here, generally focus on their mycology-specific meaning. Related terms can be found ...

) in various forest habitats. The genus shows a disjunct global distribution pattern across several continents. ''C. assateaguensis'' is known from eastern United States, particularly the Mid-Atlantic coastal region, while ''C. confusa'' occurs in North America and is currently only documented from the United States. ''C. cristinae'' has been found in Europe, with records from Poland and Germany. ''C. lecanoriformis'' shows a southern distribution, known only from Australia and Thailand. The geographic separation between the northern hemisphere species (''C. assateaguensis'', ''C. confusa'', and ''C. cristinae'') and the southern hemisphere species (''C. lecanoriformis'') is particularly notable. ''C. lecanoriformis'' is also the only consistently fertile species in the genus, while the others primarily reproduce through vegetative means.

Species

* ''

Chicitaea assateaguensis ''Chicitaea'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Sarrameanaceae. Established in 2024, it comprises four species that grow as crusts on tree bark in forests across North America, Europe, Australia, and Thailand. The genus was separa ...

'' * '' Chicitaea confusa'' * '' Chicitaea cristinae'' * '' Chicitaea lecanoriformis''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q131437676 Lecanoromycetes Lecanoromycetes genera Lichen genera Taxa described in 2024 Taxa named by Martin Kukwa Taxa named by James Lendemer