''Austroparmelina'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

foliose lichen Foliose lichen is one of the morphological classes of lichens, which are complex organisms that arise from the symbiotic relationship between fungi and a photosynthetic partner, typically algae. This partnership allows lichen to live in diverse ...

s in the large family

Parmeliaceae The Parmeliaceae is a large and diverse family of Lecanoromycetes. With over 2700 species in 71 genera, it is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi. The most speciose genera in the family are the well-known groups: '' Xanthoparmelia'' ( 822 ...

. It contains species formerly placed in the genera '' Parmelina'' and '' Canoparmelia''. All species of ''Austroparmelina'' have an Australasian-South African distribution.

Description

''Austroparmelina'' species have a grey, foliose

thallus Thallus (plural: 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. Many of these organisms wer ...

comprising somewhat linear to irregular lobes, and featuring short, simple

rhizine In lichens, rhizines are multicellular root-like structures, arising mostly from the lower surface. A lichen with rhizines is termed rhizinate, while a lichen lacking rhizines is termed erhizinate. Rhizines serve only to anchor the lichen to their ...

s. Their relatively large

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 or s ...

s measure 9–18 by 4–8

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 ...

and have a thick . The predominant secondary chemicals present in the genus are

orcinol Orcinol is an organic compound with the formula CH3C6H3(OH)2. It occurs in many species of lichens including ''Roccella tinctoria'' and ''Lecanora''. Orcinol has been detected in the "toxic glue" of the ant species ''Camponotus saundersi''. It is ...

depside A depside is a type of polyphenolic compound composed of two or more monocyclic aromatic units linked by an ester bond. Depsides are most often found in lichens, but have also been isolated from higher plants, including species of the Ericaceae, L ...

s such as

lecanoric acid Lecanoric acid is a chemical produced by several species of lichen.ubChem - Lecanoric acid"> Lecanoric acid is classified as a polyphenol and a didepside and it functions as an antioxidant. The acid is named after the lichen ''Lecanora''. The acid ...

and

gyrophoric acid Gyrophoric acid is a depside that can be found in the lichen ''Cryptothecia rubrocincta'' and in ''Xanthoparmelia pokomyi''. It can also be found in most of the species of the '' Actinogyra'', ''Lasallia'', and ''Umbilicaria'' genera Genus ( p ...

Species

*'' Austroparmelina chlorolecanorica'' (Elix) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina conlabrosa'' (Hale) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina elixii'' (Argüello & A.Crespo) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina endoleuca'' (Taylor) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina euplectina'' (Kurok. ex Elix) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina johnstoniae'' (Elix) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina labrosa'' (Zahlbr.) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina macrospora'' (Elix & J.Johnst.) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina norpruinata'' (Elix & J.Johnst.) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina pallida'' (Elix & Kantvilas) Kantvilas & Divakar (2013) *'' Austroparmelina pruinata'' (Müll. Arg.) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina pseudorelicina'' (Jatta) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina subarida'' (Elix) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina subtiliacea'' (Nyl.) A.Crespo, Divakar & Elix (2010) *'' Austroparmelina whinrayi'' (Elix) Kantvilas & Divakar (2013)

References

Parmeliaceae Lichen genera Lecanorales genera Taxa described in 2010 Taxa named by John Alan Elix Taxa named by Ana Crespo Taxa named by Pradeep Kumar Divakar {{Parmeliaceae-stub