''Lacrima'' 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

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 four

saxicolous 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 ...

(rock-dwelling),

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 ...

species.

Taxonomy

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 ...

by lichenologists Frank Bungartz, Ulf Arup, and Ulrik Søchting in 2020. They introduced this genus to accommodate a new species and three

new combination In Taxonomy (biology), biological taxonomy, a combinatio nova (abbreviated comb. nov. or n. comb.) refers to the formal renaming of an organism's scientific name when it is transferred to a different genus, reclassified within a different specie ...

s based on morphological, anatomical, chemical, and

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, ...

data. They assigned ''Lacrima epiphora'' 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 ...

. This species was originally described by

Thomas Taylor Thomas Taylor may refer to: Military *Thomas H. Taylor (1825–1901), Confederate States Army colonel *Thomas Happer Taylor (1934–2017), U.S. Army officer; military historian and author; triathlete *Thomas Taylor (Medal of Honor) (born 1834), Am ...

in 1847 with the

binomial Binomial may refer to: In mathematics *Binomial (polynomial), a polynomial with two terms *Binomial coefficient, numbers appearing in the expansions of powers of binomials *Binomial QMF, a perfect-reconstruction orthogonal wavelet decomposition * ...

''Lecanora epiphora''. The genus name, ''Lacrima'', is inspired by the unique tear-shaped

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 ...

found in certain species. These cylindrical structures are slightly tapered at their base.

Description

The thallus of ''Lacrima'' is

(growing on rocks) and

in nature, manifesting in growth patterns ranging from to . In some cases, the thallus may be underdeveloped or may have , structures which in certain species of this genus have a distinct 'tear'-shaped appearance. The apothecia can be categorised as to , with the asci being and resembling the '' Teloschistes''-type, typically bearing eight spores. The of this genus are , characterised by a wide

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

. Species of ''Lacrima'' contain chlorinated

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 ...

Fragilin Fragilin is a chemical compound of the anthraquinone class. It has the molecular formula and is a chlorinated derivative of parietin. In 1965, it was reported as a constituent of the lichens ''Sphaerophorus fragilis'' and ''Sphaerophorus corall ...

is the primary chemical found especially in the apothecia and, in some species, within the thallus as well.

Distribution

At the time of its original publication, species of ''Lacrima'' have been discovered in the

Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeog ...

, encompassing regions of Central America and the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...

. Additionally, its presence has been recorded in North America, specifically within the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert () is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the Southwestern United States (in Arizona and California). It ...

Region.

Species

* '' Lacrima aphanotripta'' – Mexico through Central America (Caribbean) into South America (Brazil, Galápagos) * '' Lacrima epiphora'' – neotropical regions of North, Central and South America * '' Lacrima galapagoensis'' – Galápagos * '' Lacrima sonorae'' – North America

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q121840692 Teloschistales Teloschistales genera Lichen genera Taxa described in 2020 Taxa named by Frank Bungartz Taxa named by Ulrik Søchting Taxa named by Ulf Arup