''Hertelidea'' 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 ...

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 in the family

Stereocaulaceae The Stereocaulaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecanorales. It contains five genera. Species of this family are widely distributed in temperate boreal and austral regions. Genera *'' Hertelidea'' – 6 spp. *''Lepraria ...

. Characteristics of the genus include carbon-black ring or outer margin (exciple) around the fruit body disc (

apothecium 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. Ascoc ...

), eight-spored, ''

Micarea ''Micarea'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pilocarpaceae. The widely distributed genus contains 142 species and new species are described actively. Species in the genus are crustose lichens and their photobiont (the non-fungal o ...

''-type asci and mostly simple,

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from , and . Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is named after its glassy appearance on fresh gross pathology. On light microscopy of H&E stained slides, the extracellula ...

ascospore In fungi, an ascospore is the sexual spore formed inside an ascus—the sac-like cell that defines the division Ascomycota, the largest and most diverse Division (botany), division of fungi. After two parental cell nucleus, nuclei fuse, the ascu ...

s that lack a transparent outer layer. ''Hertelidea'' species mostly grow on wood, although less frequently they are found on bark or soil. While 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 ...

, '' Hertelidea botryosa'', has a widespread distribution, most of the other species are found only in Australia.

Taxonomy

''Hertelidea'' 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 2004 by Christian Printzen and Gintaras Kantvilas to accommodate species that were formerly referred to as the "''

Lecidea ''Lecidea'' is a genus of crustose lichen, crustose lichens with a carbon-black ring or outer margin (exciple) around the fruiting body disc (apothecium), usually (or always) found growing on (Saxicolous lichen, saxicolous) or in (Endolithic lich ...

botryosa''" group. Four species were originally included: ''Hertelidea botryosa'', ''H. eucalypti'', ''H. geophila'', and ''H. pseudobotryosa''. ''H. aspera'' was transferred to the genus from ''Lecidea'' in 2005, while ''H. wankaensis'' was described as a new species in 2006. The genus name honours

Hannes Hertel Hannes Hertel is a German lichenologist and taxonomist and was Director of the State Herbarium in Munich, Germany 1992–2004. His specialist areas are the fungi and lichens. Early life and education Hannes Hertel was born in 1939. His doctorat ...

(b.1939), a German

Taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the science, scientific study of naming, defining (Circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxon, taxa (si ...

and lichenologist and former Director of the

Botanische Staatssammlung München The Botanische Staatssammlung München is a notable herbarium and scientific center maintained by thStaatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns Its building is located within the Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg area at Menzinge ...

, who was the subject of the

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

in which this species was published.

Description

''Hertelidea'' lichens have a crustose

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 is sometimes sorediate. Their

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 ...

, which are often arranged in conspicuous clusters, are lecideine, meaning that they have a carbonized thin black ring (an

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

) around the cup-shaped apothecium. The

paraphyses Paraphyses are erect sterile filament-like support structures occurring among the reproductive apparatuses of fungi, ferns, bryophytes and some thallophytes. The singular form of the word is paraphysis. In certain fungi, they are part of the f ...

are weakly to moderately branched and anastomosing, and have pigmented, capitate tips that separate readily in KOH. The asci are eight-spored and ''

''-like, featuring a prominent,

amyloid Amyloids are aggregates of proteins characterised by a fibrillar morphology of typically 7–13 nm in diameter, a β-sheet secondary structure (known as cross-β) and ability to be stained by particular dyes, such as Congo red. In the human ...

thallus that is more or less lacking an ocular chamber but is pierced by a more darkly staining tubular structure. The

s are simple or rarely one-

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 ...

, colourless, and non-halonate.

Chemistry

One species, ''H. eucalypti'', contains homosekikaic acid, whereas the others contain perlatolic acid.

Habitat and distribution

Species of ''Hertelidea'' are typically found on charred and rotting wood. In Australia, the logs and stumps of

eucalypt Eucalypt is any woody plant with Capsule (fruit), capsule fruiting bodies belonging to one of seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', ''Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

s are a particularly favoured

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

Species

*'' Hertelidea aspera'' (Müll.Arg.) Kantvilas & Elix (2005) – Australia *'' Hertelidea botryosa'' (Fr.) Printzen & Kantvilas (2004) – boreal and temperate regions in Northern Hemisphere *'' Hertelidea eucalypti'' Kantvilas & Printzen (2004) – Australia *'' Hertelidea geophila'' Kantvilas & Printzen (2004) – Australia *'' Hertelidea pseudobotryosa'' R.C.Harris, Ladd & Printzen (2004) – Australia; North America *'' Hertelidea wankaensis'' Kantvilas & Elix (2006) – Australia

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10522756 Stereocaulaceae Lichen genera Lecanorales genera Taxa described in 2004 Taxa named by Gintaras Kantvilas Taxa named by Christian Printzen