lichenized fungi
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Arthoniales.
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 ...
by Andreas Frisch and Göran Thor in 2014, it contains the single species ''Felipes leucopellaeus''. Genetic analysis shows that the genus falls into the order Arthoniales, but its familial placement is uncertain. ''Felipes leucopellaeus'' is found across Europe and North America in temperate and
boreal
Boreal may refer to:
Climatology and geography
*Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernander sequence of northern Europe, during the Holocene epoch
*Boreal climate, a climate characterized by long winters and short, cool to mild ...
regions, typically in
old-growth forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
''Felipes leucopellaeus'' was first described in 1810 by Erik Acharius, who named it ''Spiloma melaleucum'' var. leucopellaeum. He later moved it to the genus ''
Arthonia
''Arthonia'' is a genus of lichens in the family Arthoniaceae. It was circumscribed by Swedish botanist Erik Acharius in 1806.
It is a genus of thin crustose lichen of widely varying forms, commonly called comma lichens.Field Guide to Californi ...
'' as ''Arthonia leucopellaea'', where most taxonomists listed it for nearly two centuries. However, in 2014, Andreas Frisch and Göran Thor moved it to the monotypic genus ''Felipes''. The genus name is Latin for "cat's paw", a reference to the shape of its ascomata (fruiting structures).
Description
''Felipes leucopellaeus'' is a crustose lichen. Its thallus is whitish to pale yellow or fawn in colour, variously described as being flaky (scurfy), minutely granular ( leprose) or somewhat "cobwebby" (
arachnoid
Arachnoid may refer to:
* Relating to arachnids
* Arachnoid (astrogeology), a geological structure found only on the planet Venus
* Arachnoid (botany), referring to organs with a cobwebby exterior appearance
* Arachnoid granulation, small protr ...
) in appearance. Fresh growth often has a pinkish tinge, and the lichen has no distinct margin. Its apothecia (the lichen's spore-carrying structures) are dark brown to black in colour, ranging in shape from generally rounded to star-like or lobed.
Ecology
''Felipes leucopellaeus'' is a
corticolous lichen A corticolous lichen is a lichen that grows on bark.Alan Silverside's Lichen Glossary (a-f), Alan Silverside/ref> This is contrasted with lignicolous lichen, which grows on wood that has had the bark stripped from it,Alan Silverside's Lichen Glos ...
, growing on tree bark – particularly acidic tree bark. In Europe, it is found on the bark of mature birch (''Betula''), oak (''Quercus''), pine (''Pinus'') and holly (''Ilex'') trees, as well as occasionally on old common heather (''Calluna'') stems. In North America, where it was first recorded in 1988, it has been found on the bark of ''
Betula alleghaniensis
''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the pa ...
'' (yellow birch) and '' Picea rubens'' (red spruce).
It is uncommon in many of the places it occurs. In Italy, it is considered critically endangered, and it is a
red-listed
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...
species in Poland and Lithuania. It is sometimes attacked by the lichenicolous species ''
Chaenothecopsis vainioana
''Chaenothecopsis vainioana'' is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Caliciaceae that is found in Europe. It was first formally described by Czech lichenologist Josef Nádvorník in 1940 as a member of the genus ''Calicium''. The spe ...