''Filsoniana'' 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 ...

squamulose lichen 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), ...

s in the family

Teloschistaceae The Teloschistaceae are a large family (biology), family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class (taxonomy), class Lecanoromycetes in the division (botany), division Ascomycota. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, althoug ...

. It has six species. ''Filsoniana'' is distinguished from ''

Caloplaca ''Caloplaca'' is a lichen genus comprising a number of distinct species. Members of the genus are commonly called firedot lichen, jewel lichen.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, gold lichens, "ora ...

'' by its (scaly)

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 ...

that contains

anthraquinone Anthraquinone, also called anthracenedione or dioxoanthracene, is an aromatic hydrocarbon, aromatic organic compound with formula . Several isomers exist but these terms usually refer to 9,10-anthraquinone (IUPAC: 9,10-dioxoanthracene) wherein th ...

s, in the tissue structure comprising the rim () of the

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 ...

, and in differences in the cortical layer on the underside of the exciple.

Taxonomy

''Filsoniana'' 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 2013 by

Ingvar Kärnefelt Jan Eric Ingvar Kärnefelt (born 1944) is a Swedish lichenologist. Early life and education Kärnefelt was born in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1944. His initial goal in his higher-level studies at University of Cologne in 1966–1967 was to become a ...

, Arne Thell, Jae-Seoun Hur,

Sergey Kondratyuk Sergey Yakovlevich Kondratyuk () (born 17 May 1959) is a Ukrainian botanist specialising in lichenology. His research deals with the taxonomy, floristics, ecology and geography of lichens and lichenicolous fungi. He has worked at the for mo ...

, and John Elix following a

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 of the Teloschistaceae. The generic name honours Australian lichenologist Rex Filson, "in recognition of his contribution to lichenology, in particular to the lichen flora of Australia".

Description

Genus ''Filsoniana'' is characterised by its distinctive pinkish to brownish-pink body (

) that grows in either lobed or scale-like patterns. The outer protective layer (the ) of the lichen is made up of tightly packed, column-like cells arranged in a distinctive cellular pattern. One of the most notable features of Filsoniana are its reproductive structures (

), which can range from cup-shaped to partially enclosed. These structures are bordered by tissue (the ) that matches the main body of the lichen and contains a similar cellular arrangement. Inside these reproductive structures, each spore-producing sac (

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 ...

) typically contains eight

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, though usually only 4–6 develop fully. The spores themselves have two compartments with concentrated contents at opposite ends. The lichen also produces small, rod-shaped reproductive cells called

conidia A conidium ( ; : conidia), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (: chlamydoconidia), is an asexual, non- motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also ...

. When tested with

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), both the thallus and apothecia turn purple, indicating the presence of

compounds, specifically those related to the chemical

parietin Parietin is the predominant cortical pigment of lichens in the genus '' Caloplaca'', a secondary product of the lichen '' Xanthoria parietina'', and a pigment found in the roots of curled dock (''Rumex crispus''). It has an orange-yellow color ...

. This characteristic, along with its lobed or scaly growth form and distinctive cellular structure, distinguishes ''Filsoniana'' from the related genus ''

''. Additionally, genetic analysis places ''Filsoniana'' in a distinct group within the larger Teloschistaceae family.

Species

*'' Filsoniana australiensis'' *'' Filsoniana ferdinandmuelleri'' *'' Filsoniana kiamae'' *'' Filsoniana lhasanensis'' – Tibet *'' Filsoniana rexfilsonii'' *'' Filsoniana scarlatina''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q105492877 Teloschistales Lichen genera Teloschistales genera Taxa described in 2013 Taxa named by John Alan Elix Taxa named by Ingvar Kärnefelt Taxa named by Sergey Kondratyuk Taxa named by Arne Thell