''Sulzbacheromyces bicolor'' is a species of

basidiolichen Basidiolichens are lichenized members of the Division (taxonomy), division Basidiomycota within the subkingdom Dikarya of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Fungus, Fungi. They form a diverse yet much smaller group of lichens than the far more commo ...

in the family Lepidostromataceae. It occurs in

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

, China.

Taxonomy

''Sulzbacheromyces bicolor'' was

formally described A species description is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species, typically articulated through a scientific publication. Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differ ...

as a new species in 2017 by Dong Liu, Li-Song Wang, and Bernard Goffinet. It is most closely related to '' S. fossicolus'', from which it can be distinguished by its two-toned colouration and the presence of a silvery-white coating (called a

prothallus A prothallus, or prothallium, (from Latin ''pro'' = forwards and Greek ''θαλλος'' (''thallos'') = twig) is usually the gametophyte stage in the life of a fern or other pteridophyte. Occasionally the term is also used to describe the young ...

) on its crust-like body. The species also has specialised fungal connections called

clamp connection A clamp connection is a hook-like structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is a characteristic feature of basidiomycete fungi. It is created to ensure that each cell, or segment of hypha separated by septa (cross walls), rece ...

s in its cellular structure, which ''S. fossicolus'' lacks.

Molecular phylogenetics 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 has shown that ''Sulzbacheromyces bicolor'' forms a

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 ...

with other Asian species of ''

Sulzbacheromyces ''Sulzbacheromyces'' is a genus of basidiolichens in the family (biology), family Lepidostromataceae (the only family within the fungi, fungal order (biology), order Lepidostromatales). The genus is distinguished from the other genera of Lepidost ...

'', including '' S. fossicolus'', and '' S. sinensis'', and '' S. yunnanensis''.

Description

The organism consists of a thin, crusty layer (

thallus Thallus (: 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. A thallus usually names the entir ...

) that grows on soil and rocks, covering areas of 5–40 cm in diameter. This layer appears green to dark green and contains clusters of single-celled

green algae 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 ...

that live in partnership with the fungus. A distinctive silvery-white or grey coating (

) covers parts of the crust. The most noticeable features are its upright

fruiting bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

, which are club-shaped or cylindrical and occasionally branched. These structures are 3–23 mm tall and 0.3–1 mm wide, with a pale yellow colouration at the tip that transitions to white at the base. Under the microscope, the fungal threads (

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one o ...

e) show distinctive swellings and contain oil droplets, and the reproductive cells produce elliptical, transparent

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plant ...

Habitat and distribution

''Sulzbacheromyces bicolor'' is known to occur only in two locations in southwestern

Province, China, where it grows on exposed red soil and rocks. It appears to prefer areas that receive some seasonal moisture but are generally exposed to light.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q108417431 Lepidostromatales Lichen species Lichens described in 2017 Lichens of China Basidiolichens