''Gyalolechia'' is a

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 lichen-forming

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

belonging to the family

Teloschistaceae The Teloschistaceae are a large family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. The family, estimated to contain over 1800 species, was extensively revised in 2013, including the creation ...

. It contains 18 species of

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

Taxonomy

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 ...

Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo (13 May 1824 – 25 May 1860) was an Italian paleobotanist and lichenologist. He was born in Tregnago in the Province of Verona and took a great interest in botany as a young man. Massalongo joined the faculty of med ...

in 1852. He included two species: '' G. bracteata'' and '' G. aurea''. Although Massalongo did not designate a

type species In 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 species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

for the genus,

Josef Poelt Josef Poelt was a botanist, bryologist and lichenologist. He held the chair in Systematic Botany and Plant Geography at the Free University of Berlin (1965 - 1972) and then was head of the Botanical Institute and Botanical Garden of Graz Universi ...

assigned ''G. aurea'' to that status in 1965. After Massalongo introduced the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus ''

Fulgensia ''Fulgensia'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Teloschistaceae The Teloschistaceae are a large family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. The family, estimated to co ...

'' in 1853, ''Gyalolechia'' fell out of use. ''Gyalolechia'' was resurrected for use by Ulf Arup and colleagues in 2013, as part of a

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 ...

-based restructuring of the Teloschistaceae. ''Gyalolechia'', which is

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

to the genus ''

Blastenia ''Blastenia'' is a genus of lichenized fungi belonging to the family Teloschistaceae. The genus was first described in 1852 by Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution. Species include: *''Blastenia acaciae'' *' ...

'', contains most of the species formerly assigned to the genus ''

'', the species group centred around the

taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

formerly known as ''Caloplaca flavorubescens'', and other species that contain fragilin as the dominant

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 ...

. Twenty-five species were included in the new circumscription of the genus, but this number has since diminished as several species have been transferred from it to other new genera, including '' Athallia'', ''

Cerothallia ''Cerothallia'' is a genus of crustose lichens in the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species, all of which occur in the Southern Hemisphere. The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by Ulf Arup, Patrik Frödén, and Ulrik Søchting, with ''Ceroth ...

'', ''

Elenkiniana ''Elenkiniana'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species, all of which occur in Eurasia. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed in 2014 by the lichenologists Sergey Kondratyuk, Ingvar Kärnefelt, J ...

'', '' Laundonia'', '' Mikhtomia'', ''

Opeltia ''Opeltia'' is a genus 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.Oxneriopsis''.

Description

The

thallus Thallus (plural: 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. Many of these organisms ...

of ''Gyalolechia'' presents as a crust-like structure that can take on various forms, ranging from small scales to resembling leaves. The , or outer layer, of the lichen exhibits several distinct types: *False cortex, which resembles a cortex but does not function as one. *Cortex consisting of irregular

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one o ...

e, characterized by long and narrow cell (the spaces within the hyphae). * cortex, featuring closely packed hyphae. *Cortex with arranged hyphae, where the hyphae are oriented at right angles, and the cell lumina are oval or oblong. The cell walls in this type of cortex are weakly gelatinized. , the reproductive structures of the lichen, start as and may transition into a form. These structures are typically coloured in shades of orange to brownish-orange and contain

anthraquinone Anthraquinone, also called anthracenedione or dioxoanthracene, is an aromatic organic compound with formula . Isomers include various quinone derivatives. The term anthraquinone however refers to the isomer, 9,10-anthraquinone (IUPAC: 9,10-dioxoan ...

compounds. The produced by ''Gyalolechia'' lichens exhibit variability in shape and structure. They can be , meaning they have a short to long

septum In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural 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 * Interat ...

. Their walls are thin, and no visible channels are present. Spores can take on fusiform (spindle-shaped), narrowly to broadly

ellipsoid An ellipsoid is a surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation. An ellipsoid is a quadric surface; that is, a surface that may be defined as the ...

(similar to an elongated oval), or pyriform (pear-shaped) shapes. Occasionally, these spores may exhibit a slight curvature. The (structures associated with asexual reproduction) of ''Gyaloechia'' are typically orange and can be either unchambered or multi-chambered. The , which are asexual spores produced within pycnidia, range in shape from bacilliform (rod-shaped) to ellipsoid.

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 ...

(in the

Catalogue of Life The Catalogue of Life is an online database that provides an index of known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. It was created in 2001 as a partnership between the global Species 2000 and the American Integrated Taxonomic I ...

) includes 18 species in ''Gyalolechia'': Fulgensia fulgens Plouharnel 2010-01-16

* '' Gyalolechia allochroa'' * ''

Gyalolechia bracteata ''Gyalolechia'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi belonging to the family Teloschistaceae. It contains 18 species of crustose lichens. Taxonomy The genus was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed by Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo in 1852. He ...

'' * '' Gyalolechia canariensis'' * '' Gyalolechia cranfieldii'' * '' Gyalolechia desertorum'' * '' Gyalolechia epiphyta'' * '' Gyalolechia epiplacynthium'' * '' Gyalolechia flavovirescens'' * '' Gyalolechia fulgens'' * '' Gyalolechia fulgida'' * '' Gyalolechia klementii'' * '' Gyalolechia persimilis'' * '' Gyalolechia pruinosa'' * '' Gyalolechia stantonii'' * '' Gyalolechia stipitata'' * '' Gyalolechia subbracteata'' * '' Gyalolechia xanthostigmoidea''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q26208178 Teloschistales Teloschistales genera Lichen genera Taxa named by Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo Taxa described in 1852