lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.fungi in the family Lecanoraceae. Described in 2008, the genus contains two species, ''A. andreaeicola'' and ''A. grisea'', that were collected from high elevations in the Scottish Highlands. The two species have also been found in single instances in British Columbia and
Northern Norway
Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...
. The generic name is derived from the Greek , meaning "neglected" or "overlooked"; it was originally intended to be ''Amelia'', which is also the first name of the daughter of one of the authors, but this name had previously been used for another genus and was therefore ineligible for use according to the rules of mycological nomenclature. ''Ameliella'' appears to have some similarity with the lichen genus ''
Miriquidica
''Miriquidica'' is a genus of lichen in the family Lecanoraceae. The genus was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed in 19876 by lichenologists Hannes Hertel and Gerhard Rambold, with ''Miriquidica complanata'' assigned as the type species. ...
''.
The genus name of ''Ameliella'' is in honour of Amelia Rogocka Fryday (b.1993).
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 polyg ...
In the genus ''Ameliella'', the lichen thalli are small, grey-brown in color, and covered with warts or projections that resemble warts. The thalli form patches that are typically in diameter. There are usually copious apothecia (sexual reproductive structures) that cover much of the thallus.
The spores are translucent (
hyaline
A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none.
Histopathology
Hyaline cartilage is ...
), ranging in shape from narrowly
ellipsoid
An ellipsoid is a surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation.
An ellipsoid is a quadric surface; that is, a surface that may be defined as the ...
to spindle-shaped to oblong to ellipsoid. The spore dimensions are 10–24 by 5–7
μm
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...
; the surface structure is simple, without a thick outer coat (
epispore
The following is a glossary of terms used in the description of lichens, composite organisms that arise from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungus species in a mutualistic relationship.
Until the end of the 18th ...
), or ornamentation.
Distribution
Based on the collection sites of the two known species, ''Ameliella'' is restricted to locations near oceans. Other than the Scottish Highlands, ''A. andreaeicola'' is known only from single collections in British Columbia and Norway, while ''A. grisea'' has only been collected once in Norway. The Norway collection location (
Skibotn
Skibotn ( se, Ivgubahta, Kven: ''Yykeänperä'') is a village in Storfjord Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the southeastern shore of the Lyngen fjord in Northern Norway. The village area is located at the cros ...
Northern Norway
Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...
) is known for a rich lichen species diversity, considered unusual for such northern latitudes (68–69°N).