''Candelariella'' 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 ...

of bright yellow, ocher, or greenish yellow

crustose Crustose is a habit of some types of algae and lichens in which the organism grows tightly appressed to a substrate, forming a biological layer. ''Crustose'' adheres very closely to the substrates at all points. ''Crustose'' is found on rocks and ...

squamulose A squamulose lichen is a lichen that is composed of small, often overlapping "scales" called squamules. If they are raised from the substrate and appear leafy, the lichen may appear to be a foliose lichen, but the underside does not have a "skin ...

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Candelariaceae ''Candelariaceae'' is a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Candelariales. It contains seven genera and about 73 species. The family was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist Rainar Hakulinen in 1954 to contain the type genus In biolo ...

. Members of the genus are commonly called eggyolk lichens,Name Search Results for Scientific Name Candelariella, USDA
/ref> goldspeck lichens, or yolk lichens. 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 1894 by Swiss lichenologist

Johannes Müller Argoviensis Johann Müller (9 May 1828 - 28 January 1896) was a Swiss botanist who was a specialist in lichens. He published under the name Johannes Müller Argoviensis to distinguish himself from other naturalists with similar names. Biography Müller w ...

, with '' Candelariella vitellina'' assigned as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

Characteristics

The key feature of ''Candelariella'' species are the distinct yellow

apothecia An ascocarp, or ascoma (), 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. Ascocarps are mo ...

. Although all species are very small, even the smallest can be identified by the lemon-yellow to orange-yellow discs. Most species have a yellow thallus, although '' Candelariella antennaria'' is one example with a grey

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 ...

. Some species are pycnidiate. This genus will generally have all spot tests emerge as negative, although K tests may have an orange or reddish colour on some species' apothecia. Spore count between species varies from 8 to 32 simply or thinly

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

spores. Spores often hold one to two oil drops.

Habitat and distribution

''Candelariella'' species are found across the globe, although most commonly described in North America, Asia, and Australia. Species can be found on

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

and non-calcareous rock, soil, tree bark, mosses, and other lichens. While some species may grow only on rock, and others only on trees, the more generalist species can be found in a variety of locations.

Ecology

As of 2016, 16

lichenicolous fungi A lichenicolous fungus is a parasitic fungus that only lives on lichen as the host. A lichenicolous fungus is not the same as the fungus that is the component of the lichen, which is known as a lichenized fungus. They are most commonly specific to ...

have been documented parasitising species of the genus ''Candellariella''. These are: '' Tremella candelariellae'', '' Polysporina subfuscescens'', '' Sarcogyne sphaeospora'', '' Arthonia almquistii'', '' Caloplaca grimmiae'', ''

Carbonea vitellinaria ''Carbonea vitellaria'' is a species of lichenicolous fungus belonging to the family Lecanoraceae. It has a worldwide distribution. In Iceland it has been reported growing on '' Candelariella vitellina'' near Egilsstaðir Egilsstaðir () is a ...

'', '' Trichonectria furcatosetosa'', '' Lichenochora arctica'', ''

Sarcopyrenia cylindrospora ''Sarcopyrenia'' is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. It has 11 species. It is the only genus in Sarcopyreniaceae, a family in the order Verrucariales. ''Sarcopyrenia'' was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander i ...

'', '' Zwackhiomyces lecanorae'', ''

Phoma candelariellae ''Phoma candelariellae'' is a species of lichenicolous fungus, lichenicolous (lichen-eating) fungus in the family Didymellaceae. It is found in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey and in Ukraine, where it grows parasitism, parasitically on the ...

'', '' Henfellra muriformis'', '' Ascochyta candelariellicola'', ''

Taeniolella delicata ''Taeniolella'' is a genus of asexual fungi hyphomycetes in the family Mytilinidiaceae. Some of the species are lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling), others are saprophytic, while others are endophytic. The genus was circumscribed in 1958 by Canadian ...

'', '' Intralichen christiansenii'', and '' Intralichen lichenicola''.

Species

Candelariella aggregata - Flickr - pellaea

*'' Candelariella aggregata'' *'' Candelariella antennaria'' *'' Candelariella arctica'' *''

Candelariella aurella ''Candelariella aurella'', the hidden goldspeck lichen or eggyolk lichen, is a yellow crustose lichen in the family Candelariaceae. It is commonly found on calcareous rock or wood or bark exposed to sunlight and which may have calcareous dust in ...

'' *'' Candelariella australiensis'' – Australia *'' Candelariella biatorina'' *'' Candelariella blastidiata'' *'' Candelariella boikoi'' *'' Candelariella boleana'' – Europe *'' Candelariella borealis'' – North America *'' Candelariella californica'' *'' Candelariella clarkiae'' *'' Candelariella commutata'' *'' Candelariella complanata'' *''

Candelariella coralliza ''Candelariella coralliza'' is a species of fungus belonging to the family Candelariaceae. Synonym: * ''Lecanora coralliza'' Nyl., 1875 (= basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new ...

'' *'' Candelariella corallizoides'' *'' Candelariella corviniscalensis'' *'' Candelariella deppeanae'' *'' Candelariella efflorescens'' *'' Candelariella flavosorediata'' –

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

*'' Candelariella flavovirella'' *'' Candelariella granuliformis'' *'' Candelariella hakulinenii'' *'' Candelariella immarginata'' *'' Candelariella lichenicola'' *'' Candelariella makarevichiae'' *'' Candelariella medians'' *'' Candelariella reflexa'' *'' Candelariella rosulans'' *'' Candelariella rubrisoli'' *'' Candelariella superdistans'' *'' Candelariella vainioana'' *'' Candelariella vitellina'' *''

Candelariella xanthostigma ''Candelariella'' is a genus of bright yellow, ocher, or greenish yellow crustose or squamulose lichens in the family Candelariaceae. Members of the genus are commonly called eggyolk lichens, goldspeck lichens, or yolk lichens. The genus was cir ...

'' *'' Candelariella xanthostigmoides''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5031656 Lichen genera Taxa named by Johannes Müller Argoviensis Taxa described in 1894