''Pseudocyphellaria'' 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 ...

of large, leafy

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 ...

s that are sometimes referred to as "specklebelly" lichens.Brodo, I. M., S. D. Sharnoff, and S. Sharnoff. 2001. ''Lichens of North America''. Yale University Press: New Haven. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in south

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

regions, and contains about 170 species. They resemble ''

Lobaria ''Lobaria'' is a genus of foliose lichens, formerly classified in the family Lobariaceae, but now placed in the Peltigeraceae. They are commonly known as "lung wort" or "lungmoss" as their physical shape somewhat resembles a lung, and their eco ...

'', except that most species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' have conspicuous

pseudocyphella Pseudocyphellae (singular ''pseudocyphella'') are structures in lichens that appear as tiny pores on the outer surface (the cortex) of the lichen. They are caused when there is a break in the cortex of the lichen, and the medullary hyphae extend ...

e on their lower surface, a characteristic that was once considered unique to this genus. Some species contain

pulvinic acid Pulvinic acids are natural chemical pigments found in some lichens, derived biosynthetically from the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, via dimerization and oxidative ring-cleavage of arylpyruvic acids, a process that also produces ...

-related pigments; in these species the

soredia Soredia are common reproduction, reproductive structures of lichens. Lichens asexual reproduction, reproduce asexually by employing simple fragmentation and production of soredia and isidia. Soredia are powdery propagules composed of fungus, fung ...

and pseudocyphellae can be bright yellow.

Taxonomy

''Pseudocyphellaria'' was originally

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 1890 by Finnish lichenologist

Edvard August Vainio Edvard August Vainio (born Edvard Lang; 5 August 185314 May 1929) was a Finnish lichenology, lichenologist. His early works on the lichens of Lapland (Finland), Lapland, his three-volume monograph on the lichen genus ''Cladonia'', and, in part ...

, with ''P. aurata'' 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 ...

. In the 2010s,

molecular phylogenetic 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 ...

analyses showed that this species, along with a few others, nested within a small

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

separate from most ''Pseudocyphellaria''. These species, characterised by a yellow

medulla Medulla (Latin for "marrow") or medullary may refer to: Science * Medulla oblongata, a part of the brain stem * Renal medulla, a part of the kidney * Adrenal medulla, a part of the adrenal gland * Medulla of ovary, a stroma in the center of the ...

containing

derivatives and fernene

triterpenoid Triterpenes are a class of terpenes composed of six isoprene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of three terpene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squalene, the pre ...

s, were placed in a resurrected genus, ''

Crocodia ''Crocodia'' is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. It has eight species. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, although most species occur in temperate and tropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The main character ...

'', while ''Pseudocyphellaria'' was proposed for conservation with a new type species, '' P. crocata''. This proposal was later accepted by the

Nomenclature Committee for Fungi International Botanical Congress (IBC) is an international meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) and held every six years, with the location rotati ...

The ''Pseudocyphellaria'' symbiosis

Many species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' are

cyanolichen Cyanolichens are lichens in which the fungal component () partners with cyanobacteria () for photosynthesis, rather than the green algae found in most other lichens. In some cyanolichens, known as forms, the cyanobacteria form an extensive throug ...

s and contain the

cyanobacterium Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) color, which forms the basis of cyanobacteria' ...

Nostoc ''Nostoc'', also known as star jelly, troll's butter, spit of moon, fallen star, witch's butter (not to be confused with the fungi commonly known as witches' butter), and witch's jelly, is the most common genus of cyanobacteria found in a variety ...

'' as a

photobiont 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.

, which allows

nitrogen fixation Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular dinitrogen () is converted into ammonia (). It occurs both biologically and abiological nitrogen fixation, abiologically in chemical industry, chemical industries. Biological nitrogen ...

. In some species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' the cyanobacterium is the sole photobiont, while other species also contain the

green alga The green algae (: green alga) are a group of chlorophyll-containing autotrophic eukaryotes consisting of the phylum Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister group that contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ( ...

Dictyochloropsis ''Dictyochloropsis'' is a genus of Unicellular organism, unicellular Green algae, green alga of the phylum Chlorophyta. This genus consists of Free-swimming, free-living algae which have a reticulate (net-like) chloroplast that varies slightly in ...

'' and restrict the cyanobacterium to warty

cephalodia A cephalodium () is a small gall-like structure found in some lichens. They occur only in lichens which contain both cyanobacterial and green algal partners. Cephalodia can occur within the tissues of the lichen, or on its upper or lower surface. ...

on the lower surface of the lichen. Some species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' appear to be able to use either a cyanobacterium or a green algae as their photobiont. DNA tests have shown that the fungal symbionts in ''P. murrayi'' (which is in a symbiosis with a cyanobacterium) and ''P. rufovirescens'' (which is in a symbiosis with a green alga) are actually the same species. This means that ''P. murrayi''-''P. rufovirescens'' is actually one species of fungus that is capable of forming two very different lichens, one with a cyanobacterium and one with a green alga. Two other possible pairs of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' species that may be capable of choosing their photobiont are ''P. knightii''-''P. lividofusca'', and ''P. kookeri''-''P. durietzii''.

Ecological significance

Most ''Pseudocyphellaria'' grow on trees in coastal areas, from the subtropics to the boreal zones, although some species can occasionally be found growing on mossy rocks or growing inland. Many species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' are restricted to

old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...

s in humid areas, and are therefore threatened by logging. The limited light conditions of dense young forests can severely decrease the growth of ''Pseudocyphellaria crocata'' compared to more open, old-growth forests, and the excess of light from clearcuts can also cause damage to the lichen. Because they are often restricted to humid forests in undisturbed areas, species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' are often used as indicators of valuable old growth forests. ''Pseudocyphellaria rainierensis'' is listed as vulnerable in Canada by

COSEWIC The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC, French: Comité sur la situation des espèces en péril au Canada, COSEPAC) is an independent committee of wildlife experts and scientists whose "raison d'être is to identify s ...

. ''Pseudocyphellaria crocata'' has disappeared from much of

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

, a development that has been partly attributed to an increase in grazing from snails, presumably as a result of global warming. In the areas of Scandinavia where ''P. crocata'' is still found, it seems restricted to growing on smaller twigs that are harder for the snails to reach.

Species

*''

Pseudocyphellaria allanii ''Pseudocyphellaria allanii'' is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) and foliose (leafy) lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. Found in New Zealand, it was formally described as a new species in 1982 by Bernd Renner and David Galloway. The ...

'' – New Zealand *'' Pseudocyphellaria argyracea'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria bartlettii'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria berteroana'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria biliana'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria billardierei'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria brattii'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria carpoloma'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria chloroleuca'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria citrina'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria clathrata'' *'' Pseudocyphellaria confusa'' *''

Pseudocyphellaria crocata ''Pseudocyphellaria crocata'' is a species of lichen in the family Peltigeraceae, belonging to the ascomycetes. Its predators include the land snail '' Notodiscus hookeri''.Gadea, A., Le Pogam, P., Biver, G., Boustie, J., Le Lamer, A. C., Le D� ...

Traditional use

Several species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' can be utilized to produce a brown to orange-brown dye,Brough, S. G. 1984. Dye characteristics of British Columbia forest lichens. ''Syesis'' 17: 81–94. and some of them have been used to dye wool in Britain and Scandinavia. Uphof, J. C. T. 1959. ''Dictionary of Economic Plants''. Hafner Publishing Co.: New York. One species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' is used in Madagascar to make a tea used to treat indigestion. Besides being yellow, pulvinic acid derivatives are highly toxic. Any species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' that has yellow structures probably contains one of these compounds,Garbarino, J. A., W. Quilhot, M. Piovano, and C. Rubio. 1991. Studies on Chilean lichens. XVIII. Additions to the chemistry of Pseudocyphellaria. ''Boletin De La Sociedad Chilena De Quimica'' 36(4): 229-231. and may be toxic if ingested.

Gallery

Image:Pseudocyphellaria2.jpg, ''Pseudocyphellaria corifolia'' growing in Parque Etnobotanico Omora on Isla Navarino, Chile. This species has brown

soralia Soredia are common reproductive structures of lichens. Lichens reproduce asexually by employing simple fragmentation and production of soredia and isidia. Soredia are powdery propagules composed of fungal hyphae wrapped around cyanobacteria or g ...

and black apothecia. Image:Pseudocyphellaria3.jpg, ''Pseudocyphellaria granulata'' growing in Parque Etnobotanico Omora on Isla Navarino, Chile. This species has brilliant yellow

. Image:Pseudocyphellaria4.jpg, A species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' growing in the

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

near

Bariloche San Carlos de Bariloche (from the Mapuche name ''Vuriloche'', meaning "people from the other side of the mountain"), commonly known simply as Bariloche (), is the largest city in the Argentine province of Río Negro and the seat of the departm ...

, Argentina. This species has brilliant yellow

. Image:Pseudocyphellaria5.jpg, Yellow pseudocyphellea on the underside of a species of ''Pseudocyphellaria'' growing near

, Argentina.