''Variospora thallincola'' is a species of

saxicolous This glossary of mycology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to mycology, the study of fungi. Terms in common with other fields, if repeated here, generally focus on their mycology-specific meaning. Related terms can be found ...

(rock-dwelling),

crustose lichen Crustose lichens are lichens that form a crust which strongly adheres to the Substrate (biology), substrate (soil, rock, tree bark, etc.), making separation from the substrate impossible without destruction. The basic structure of crustose lichen ...

in the family

Teloschistaceae The Teloschistaceae are a large family (biology), family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class (taxonomy), class Lecanoromycetes in the division (botany), division Ascomycota. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, althoug ...

Taxonomy

It 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 1875 by the botanist

Hugh Algernon Weddell Hugh Algernon Weddell (22 June 1819 – 22 July 1877) was a physician and botanist, specialising in South American flora. Weddell was born at Birches House, Painswick near Gloucester, England, but was raised in France and educated at th ...

, who named it ''Lecanora murorum'' var. ''thallincola''.

Gustaf Einar Du Rietz Gustaf Einar Du Rietz (25 April 1895 – 7 March 1967) was a Swedish botanist and lichenologist. His research interests included plant ecology, lichen taxonomy, and biogeography. He was a leading figure in the Uppsala school of phytosociology ...

raised it to species status in 1925, as ''Caloplaca thallincola''. Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred the

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

to the genus ''

Variospora ''Variospora'' is a genus of crustose lichens, belonging to the family Teloschistaceae The Teloschistaceae are a large family (biology), family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class (taxonomy), class Lecanoromycetes in the d ...

'' in 2013, following a

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 ...

-based restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae.

Description

''Variospora thallincola'' is characterised by its , bright orange

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 forms closely appressed, circular structures resembling cartwheels, each measuring 3–4 cm in diameter. The thallus features convex, finger-like ends, around 0.3–0.7 mm broad, which lie closely together and are separated by frequently parallel furrows. The central area of the thallus is convex and , and lacks , a powdery or waxy coating. The species develops

apothecia An ascocarp, or ascoma (: ascomata), 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. As ...

, the fruiting structures, which can be up to 0.8 mm in diameter and are generally scattered across the central area of the thallus. The of the apothecia is orange and becomes excluded as they age. The of these apothecia are brown-orange in colour and transform from flat to convex over time. Within the apothecia, the

paraphyses Paraphyses are erect sterile filament-like support structures occurring among the reproductive apparatuses of fungi, ferns, bryophytes and some thallophytes. The singular form of the word is paraphysis. In certain fungi, they are part of the f ...

(sterile filamentous structures) are loose, with some being while most fork towards their tips, which are slightly swollen. The of ''Variospora thallincola'' are distinctive for their swollen, lemon-shaped appearance, measuring 11–14 by 8–11

μm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...

with a

septum In biology, a septum (Latin language, Latin for ''something that encloses''; septa) is a wall, dividing a Body cavity, cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Hum ...

width of 4–5 μm, accounting for half the length of the ascospore. Both the thallus and the apothecia react to a

potassium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which utili ...

(K)

spot test Spot analysis, spot test analysis, or a spot test is a chemical test, a simple and efficient technique where analytic assays are executed in only one, or a few drops, of a chemical solution, preferably in a great piece of filter paper, without usin ...

by turning purple.

Habitat and distribution

Found on rocky coasts with

siliceous Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant ...

stone, ''Variospora thallincola'' typically grows in the mesic to submesic-

supralittoral The supralittoral zone, also known as the splash zone, spray zone or the supratidal zone, sometimes also referred to as the white zone, is the area above the spring high tide line, on coastlines and estuaries, that is regularly splashed, but not s ...

zones. It prefers north-facing rock surfaces that are shaded. The lichen is widely distributed, having been reported from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q25412632 Teloschistales Lichen species Lichens described in 1875 Lichens of Africa Lichens of Asia Lichens of Europe Lichens of North America Taxa named by Hugh Algernon Weddell