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 small dark brown to olive or dark gray
squamulose
A squamulose lichen is a lichen that is composed of small, often overlapping "scales" called squamules. 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 ...
saxicolous
A saxicolous lichen is a lichen that grows on rock. The prefix "sax" from the Latin means "rock" or "stone".
Characteristics
Saxicolous lichens exhibit very slow growth rates. They may develop on rock substrates for long periods of time, giv ...
(grow on rock)) or
terricolous A terricolous lichen is a lichen that grows on the soil as a 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 at ...
(grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, They are
cyanolichens
Cyanolichens are lichens that apart from the basic fungal component ("mycobiont"), contain cyanobacteria, otherwise known as blue-green algae, as the photosynthesizing component ("photobiont"). Overall, about a third of lichen photobionts are cyan ...
, with the
cyanobacterium
Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blue ...
photobiont
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Anacystis''. They are umbilicate with flat to erect squamule lobes that attach from a central holdfast or cluster of
rhizene
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Lichen spot test
A spot test in lichenology is a spot analysis used to help identify lichens. It is performed by placing a drop of a chemical on different parts of the lichen and noting the colour change (or lack thereof) associated with application of the chemica ...
s are usually negative.
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 members of the genus are similar to members of ''
Heppia
''Heppia'' is a genus of olive, brownish, gray, or blackish squamulose, crustose, or peltate like lichens.Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 1, Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bugartz, F., (eds.) 2001/ref> ''Heppia'' was ...
'', ''
Psora
''Psora'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Psoraceae. Members of the genus are commonly called fishscale lichens. Lichens in the genus ''Psora'' are known to have a squamulose thallus and anthraquinones in the hymenium.
Sp ...
'', and ''
Placidium
''Placidium'' is a genus of crustose to squamulose to almost foliose lichens. The genus is in the family Verrucariaceae. Most members grow on soil (are terricolous), but some grow on rock ( saxicolous). The fruiting bodies are perithecia, flas ...
'', although the first genus has cyanobacteria from the genus ''
Scytonema
''Scytonema'' is a genus of photosynthetic cyanobacteria that contains over 100 species. It grows in filaments that form dark mats. Many species are aquatic and are either free-floating or grow attached to a submerged substrate, while others ...
'', and the latter two genera have
green algae
The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ( Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alg ...
as the photobiont.
The genus is in the family
Peltulaceae
The Peltulaceae are a family of ascomycete 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 mor ...
.
Species
*''
Peltula auriculata
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula bolanderi
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula brasiliensis
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula capensis
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula cataractae
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula clavata
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula cylindrica
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula daurica
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula euploca
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula hassei
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichen, squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide t ...
''
*''
Peltula imbricata
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Li ...
Peltula inversa
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula leptophylla
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula lobata
''Peltula lobata'' is a species of foliose lichen, foliose and saxicolous lichen, saxicolous (rock-dwelling) lichen in the family Peltulaceae. Found in Portugal, it was species description, formally described as a new species in 2013 by Joana Mar ...
'' – Europe
*''
Peltula lobulata
''Peltula lobulata'' is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), squamulose lichen that belongs to the family Peltulaceae. This species was first described in 2019 following its discovery in Beijing, China.
Taxonomy
''Peltula lobulata'' was ...
'' – China
*''
Peltula obscurans
''Peltula obscurans'' (common rock-olive) is a dark olive to dark gray squamulose lichen that grows on rock and soil in arid habitats around the world. It may grow as a rosette of squamulous lobes, or with widely scattered lobes. A single bla ...
''
*''
Peltula obscuratula
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Li ...
''
*''
Peltula olifera
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Lic ...
Peltula patellata
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Li ...
Peltula pseudoboletiformis
''Peltula pseudoboletiformis'' is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), squamulose lichen lichen in the family Peltulaceae, described in 2022. It is noted for its resemblance in thallus structure to the mushroom-forming fungal genus '' Bo ...
'' – China
*''
Peltula radicata
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
''
*''
Peltula rodriguesii
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichen, squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide t ...
''
*''
Peltula steppae
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Liche ...
Peltula zahlbruckneri
''Peltula'' is a genus of small dark brown to olive or dark gray squamulose lichens that can be saxicolous (grow on rock)) or terricolous (grow on soil). Members of the genus are commonly called rock-olive lichens.Field Guide to California Lic ...