''Cercidospora stereocaulorum'' is a species of

lichenicolous fungus 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 ...

in the genus '' Cercidospora'' but it has not been assigned to a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

. It is known to

parasitise Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

lichens of the genus ''

Stereocaulon ''Stereocaulon'' is a genus of lichens. Members of ''Stereocaulon'' are commonly called snow lichens. Species *'' Stereocaulon alpinum'' *'' Stereocaulon apocalypticum'' *'' Stereocaulon arcticum'' *'' Stereocaulon arenarium'' *'' Stereocau ...

''.

Similar species

Cercidospora stereocaulorum is very similar to '' Cercidospora punctillata'' and '' Cercidospora decolorella'' but they can be told apart from their

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

biology and their host species. ''Cercidospora punctillata'' grows on various lichens, most commonly '' Solorina crocea'' and species of ''

Peltigera ''Peltigera'' is a genus of approximately 100 species of foliose lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. Commonly known as the dog or pelt lichens, species of ''Peltigera'' are often terricolous (growing on soil), but can also occur on moss, trees, ...

''. while '' Cercidospora decolorella'' grows on

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

es. '' Cercidospora alpina'' also grows on species of ''

'' and can therefore be confused with ''Cercidospora stereocaulorum''.

Distribution

''Cercidospora stereocaulorum'' has been reported from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, including

Wrangel Island Wrangel Island ( rus, О́стров Вра́нгеля, r=Ostrov Vrangelya, p=ˈostrəf ˈvrangʲɪlʲə; ckt, Умӄиԓир, translit=Umqiḷir) is an island of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is the 91st largest island in the w ...

and

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

Host species and symptoms

It grows on phyllocladia, stems and occasionally cephalodia and old apothecia of its host species. It can induce gall-like swellings up to 1.5 mm in diamerter and the infected host tissues can become pinkish or slightly bleached. Infection does not induce any other known symptoms. Host species include: * '' Stereocaulon alpinum'' * '' Stereocaulon botryosum'' * ''

Stereocaulon depressum ''Stereocaulon depressum'' is a species of snow lichen belonging to the family Stereocaulaceae. Ecology ''Stereocaulon depressum'' is a known host to the lichenicolous fungus A lichenicolous fungus is a parasitic fungus that only lives on lic ...

'' * ''

Stereocaulon glareosum ''Stereocaulon glareosum'' is a species of snow lichen belonging to the family Stereocaulaceae. Ecology ''Stereocaulon glareosum'' is a known host to the lichenicolous fungus A lichenicolous fungus is a parasitic fungus that only lives on lic ...

'' * '' Stereocaulon groenlandicum'' * '' Stereocaulon intermedium'' * '' Stereocaulon paschale'' * '' Stereocaulon rivulorum'' * '' Stereocaulon saxatile'' * '' Stereocaulon subcoralloides'' * '' Stereocaulon symphycheilum'' * ''

Stereocaulon vesuvianum ''Stereocaulon vesuvianum'' is a species of snow lichen belonging to the family Stereocaulaceae. Ecology ''Stereocaulon vesuvianum'' is a known host to the lichenicolous fungus A lichenicolous fungus is a parasitic fungus that only lives on l ...

References

Dothideomycetes Fungi described in 1987 Fungi of Canada Fungi of the United States Fungi of Russia Fungi of Svalbard Lichenicolous fungi Taxa named by Ferdinand Christian Gustav Arnold {{Dothideomycetes-stub