''Pyrenidium'' is a

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 ...

lichenicolous A lichenicolous fungus is a parasitic fungus that only lives on lichen as the host. A lichenicolous fungus is not the same as the fungus that is the component of the lichen, which is known as a lichenized fungus. They are most commonly specific t ...

( lichen-dwelling)

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 more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...

. It is the only genus in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species.

Taxonomy

The genus was

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every po ...

by Finnish lichenologist

William Nylander William Andrew Michael Junior Nylander Altelius (born 1 May 1996) is a Canadian-born Swedish professional ice hockey right winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nylander was selected by the Maple Leafs in the ...

in 1865, with '' Pyrenidium actinellum'' assigned as the

type species In 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 species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

. The family was originally proposed by

Alexander Zahlbruckner Alexander Zahlbruckner (31 May 1860, Svätý Jur – 1938, Vienna) was an Austrian- Hungarian botanist who specialized in the study of lichens. Johann Babtist Zahlbruckner, an earlier Austrian botanist, was his grandfather. From 1878 to 1883 ...

in 1898, and later resurrected for use in 2019. ''Pyrenidium'' was previously classified in

Dacampiaceae Dacampiaceae is a family of fungi belonging to the order Pleosporales. The family was first described in 1855 by Gustav Wilhelm Körber. Genera Genera listed by Mycobank: *''Byssothecium'' *'' Cocciscia'' Norman, 1870 *'' Dacampia'' *'' Dacam ...

, but

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 ...

analysis showed that this family was

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

, and that ''Pyrenidium'' originated from a lineage distinct from the genera in that family.

Description

Members of the genus have

ascomata An ascocarp, or ascoma (), 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. Ascocarps are mo ...

that are perithecioid in form, often with blue-green

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic comp ...

in the upper wall of the peridia. Their ascomata are either immersed in the

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places *Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People * Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

thallus, or bursting through surface (''erumpent''), exposing the upper part of the structure (sometimes still covered by tissue of the host thalli). They have bitunicate

asci ASCI or Asci may refer to: * Advertising Standards Council of India * Asci, the plural of ascus, in fungal anatomy * Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative * American Society for Clinical Investigation * Argus Sour Crude Index * Association of ...

that contain from 4 to 8

ascospore An ascus (; ) is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. Each ascus usually contains eight ascospores (or octad), produced by meiosis followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera o ...

s. Infection by the fungus sometimes causes

gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external Tissue (biology), tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissu ...

-like malformations of the host thallus.

Species

Species Fungorum ''Index Fungorum'' is an international project to index all formal names ( scientific names) in the fungus kingdom. the project is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, one of three partners along with Landcare Research and the Institute of ...

(in the

Catalogue of Life The Catalogue of Life is an online database that provides an index of known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. It was created in 2001 as a partnership between the global Species 2000 and the American Integrated Taxonomic I ...

) accepts 13 species of ''Pyrenidium'': * '' Pyrenidium actinellum'' * ''

Pyrenidium aggregatum ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidium ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium borbonicum ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidium ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium coccineum ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidium ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium cryptotheciae ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidium ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium hetairizans ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous fungus, lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family (biology), family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed by ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium hypotrachynae ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidi ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium macrosporum ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidi ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium octosporum ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidi ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium santessonii ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidi ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium sporopodiorum ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidi ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium ucrainicum ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidi ...

'' * ''

Pyrenidium zamiae ''Pyrenidium'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It is the only genus in the family Pyrenidiaceae. It has 13 species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1865, with ''Pyrenidi ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10647248 Pleosporales Taxa described in 1865 Dothideomycetes genera Lichenicolous fungi Taxa named by William Nylander (botanist)