''Canoparmelia'' 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 ...

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 A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

in the 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 ...

. The widespread genus contains about 35 species. ''Canoparmelia'', a segregate of the parmelioid lichen genus ''

Pseudoparmelia ''Pseudoparmelia'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Parmeliaceae. The genus has a pantropical distribution, and contains 27 species. It was circumscribed by Bernt Arne Lynge in 1914, who distinguished the genus from ''Parmelia'' by th ...

'', 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 ...

by John Elix and

Mason Hale Mason Ellsworth Hale, Jr. (September 23, 1929 – April 23, 1990) was one of the most prolific lichenologists of the 20th century. Many of his scholarly articles focused on the taxonomy of the family Parmeliaceae. Hale was one of the first liche ...

in 1986.

Description

''Canoparmelia'' lichens have grey or rarely yellow-green

thalli 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 were ...

containing the secondary chemicals

atranorin Atranorin is a chemical substance produced by some species of lichen. It is a secondary metabolite belonging to a group of compounds known as depsides. Atranorin has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxic, antioxidant, ...

and chloroatranorin, or rarely

usnic acid Usnic acid is a naturally occurring dibenzofuran derivative found in several lichen species with the formula C18H16O7. It was first isolated by German scientist W. Knop in 1844 and first synthesized between 1933-1937 by Curd and Robertson. Usnic a ...

, in the

cortex Cortex or cortical may refer to: Biology * Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ ** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain'' *** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...

. The thallus is made of more or less rotund lobes that are 3.0–5.0 mm wide and lack

cilia The cilium, plural cilia (), is a membrane-bound organelle found on most types of eukaryotic cell, and certain microorganisms known as ciliates. Cilia are absent in bacteria and archaea. The cilium has the shape of a slender threadlike projecti ...

; the

medulla Medulla or Medullary may refer to: Science * Medulla oblongata, a part of the brain stem * Renal medulla, a part of the kidney * Adrenal medulla, a part of the adrenal gland * Medulla of ovary, a stroma in the center of the ovary * Medulla of th ...

is white. The underside of the thallus is black or brown with naked brown margins and 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 of the same colour. ''Canoparmelia'' produces small

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 ...

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 that measure 10–14 by 6–8

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 ...

. The

conidia A conidium ( ; ), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (), is an asexual, non-motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also called mitospores due to the ...

are fusiform (spindle-shaped) or bifusiform, measuring 7–10 μm long.

Species

*'' Canoparmelia alabamensis'' *'' Canoparmelia albomaculata'' – Brazil *'' Canoparmelia amabilis'' *'' Canoparmelia antedeluvialis'' *'' Canoparmelia aptata'' *'' Canoparmelia austroamericana'' *'' Canoparmelia caribaea'' *''

Canoparmelia caroliniana ''Canoparmelia'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Parmeliaceae. The widespread genus contains about 35 species. ''Canoparmelia'', a segregate of the parmelioid lichen genus ''Pseudoparmelia'', was circumscribed by John Elix and M ...

Canoparmelia quintarigera ''Canoparmelia'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Parmeliaceae. The widespread genus contains about 35 species. ''Canoparmelia'', a segregate of the parmelioid lichen genus ''Pseudoparmelia'', was circumscribed by John Elix and M ...

'' – Magagascar *'' Canoparmelia rarotongensis'' –

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

*'' Canoparmelia raunkiaeri'' *'' Canoparmelia rodriguesiana'' *'' Canoparmelia roseoreagens'' – Brazil *'' Canoparmelia rupicola'' *'' Canoparmelia sanguinea'' – Brazil *'' Canoparmelia somaliensis'' *'' Canoparmelia subroseoreagens'' – Brazil *'' Canoparmelia tamaulipensis'' *'' Canoparmelia terrapapia'' *'' Canoparmelia texana'' *'' Canoparmelia zambiensis'' *'' Canoparmelia zimbabwensis'' The taxon once named ''Canoparmelia amazonica'' has been analysed molecularly and shown to belong in the genus '' Parmelinella''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5033421 Parmeliaceae Lichen genera Lecanorales genera Taxa described in 1986 Taxa named by Mason Hale Taxa named by John Alan Elix