Moelleropsis

''Fuscopannaria'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Pannariaceae. It has about 50 species.

Taxonomy

The genus was circumscribed by Norwegian lichenologist Per Magnus Jørgensen in 1994, with ''Fuscopannaria leucosticta'' assigned as the type species. Jørgensen had proposed the genus a year earlier, but the genus was not validly published at that time.

''Moelleropsis'' is a genus that was published by Vilmos Kőfaragó-Gyelnik in 1940, with ''Moelleropsis nebulosa'' assigned as its type species. Using molecular phylogenetics, it was later shown that this taxon was nested within ''Fuscopannaria''. Because ''Moelleropsis'' was published earlier than ''Fuscopannaria'', the botanical rules for nomenclature indicated that ''Fuscopannaria'' be folded into synonymy with ''Moelleropsis''. However, this would have meant that several dozen species would have had to change their names, so, in order to preserve "nomenclatural stability", in 2013 Jørgensen and colleagues proposed to conserve the name ''Fuscopannaria'' against ''Moelleropsis''. This proposal was accepted by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi in 2017.

Description

''Fuscopannaria'' lichens have a (scaly) or (crust-like) growth form. The lower surface is often attached to the by a dark blue to blue-black , a mat of fungal filaments that may be visible between the individual scales of the thallus. The upper surface varies in colour, ranging from bluish-grey to olive or nearly black. Unlike many lichens, 'Fuscopannaria'' lacks a distinct lower , while its upper cortex is composed of thick-walled fungal cells.

The photosynthetic partner () in ''Fuscopannaria'' is ''Nostoc'', a type of cyanobacterium (formerly called "blue-green algae"). This partnership allows the lichen to fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it ecologically significant in nutrient-poor environments.

The reproductive structures, or ascomata, are apothecia—cup-shaped fruiting bodies that are directly attached to the thallus. These apothecia have a reddish-brown to black and may have a surrounding that is similar in colour to the main body of the lichen. This margin is often reduced or absent in mature specimens. Inside the apothecia, the fungal tissue contains photobiont cells in a loosely arranged . The hymenium, the spore-producing layer, reacts with iodine (I+) by turning blue-green before shifting to red-brown, a property known as hemiamyloidy.

The fungal reproductive structures include eight-spored asci, each containing ellipsoidal, colourless spores. These spores are typically single-celled (aseptate) and often have small pointed ends, with a surface that may appear warted. Asexual reproduction occurs through conidia—small, rod-shaped spores produced in pycnidia, which are flask-shaped structures embedded within the thallus.

Chemically, ''Fuscopannaria'' species produce a variety of fatty acids and terpenes, although some species may lack detectable secondary metabolites.

Species

, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accept 41 species of ''Fuscopannaria''. The ''2024 Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa'' suggests there are about 50 species in the genus.



*'' Fuscopannaria abscondita'' – Svalbard
*'' Fuscopannaria alaskana''
*'' Fuscopannaria albomaculata'' – China
*'' Fuscopannaria aurita''
*'' Fuscopannaria cacuminum'' – Papua New Guinea
*'' Fuscopannaria caribaea'' – French Antilles
*'' Fuscopannaria cheiroloba''
*'' Fuscopannaria coerulescens'' – Nepal; New Guinea
*''Fuscopannaria confusa''
*'' Fuscopannaria convexa''
*'' Fuscopannaria coralloidea''
*'' Fuscopannaria crustacea'' – New Zealand
*'' Fuscopannaria cyanogranulosa'' – China
*'' Fuscopannaria cyanolepra''
*'' Fuscopannaria dillmaniae'' – Alaska
*'' Fuscopannaria dispersa''
*'' Fuscopannaria dissecta''
*'' Fuscopannaria frullaniae''
*'' Fuscopannaria granulans'' – New Zealand
*'' Fuscopannaria granulifera'' – India
*'' Fuscopannaria hirsuta'' – China
*''Fuscopannaria ignobilis''
*'' Fuscopannaria incisa''
*'' Fuscopannaria leprosa''
*''Fuscopannaria leucosticta''
*'' Fuscopannaria mediterranea''
*'' Fuscopannaria minor'' – New Zealand
*'' Fuscopannaria nebulosa''
*'' Fuscopannaria obtegens'' – China
*'' Fuscopannaria pacifica''
*'' Fuscopannaria praetermissa''
*'' Fuscopannaria ramulina''
*'' Fuscopannaria rugosa'' – China
*'' Fuscopannaria saltuensis''
*'' Fuscopannaria siamensis''
*'' Fuscopannaria sorediata'' – eastern North America; Japan
*'' Fuscopannaria subgemmascens'' – India
*'' Fuscopannaria subimmixta'' – New Zealand
*'' Fuscopannaria subincisa''
*'' Fuscopannaria thiersii''
*'' Fuscopannaria venusta'' – Papua New Guinea
*'' Fuscopannaria viridescens'' – Siberia; Alaska

References

{{Taxonbar , from1=Q5509962 , from2=Q10587430

Fuscopannaria
Lichen genera
Peltigerales genera
Taxa named by Per Magnus Jørgensen
Taxa described in 1994