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 in the family
Teloschistaceae
The Teloschistaceae are a large family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. The family, estimated to contain over 1800 species, was extensively revised in 2013, including the creation o ...
. It has three species, all of which occur in Eurasia.
Taxonomy
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 2014 by the lichenologists
Sergey Kondratyuk
Sergey Yakovlevich Kondratyuk ( uk, Сергій Якович Кондратюк) (born 17 May 1959) is a Ukrainian botanist specialising in lichenology. His research deals with the taxonomy, floristics, ecology and geography of lichens and lic ...
,
Ingvar Kärnefelt
Jan Eric Ingvar Kärnefelt (born 1944) is a Swedish lichenologist.
Early life and education
Kärnefelt was born in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1944. His initial goal in his higher-level studies at University of Cologne in 1966–1967 was to become ...
Alexander Elenkin
Alexander Alexandrovich Elenkin (1873–1942, russian: Еленкин, Александр Александрович) was a Russian lichenologist. He was born in Warsaw and took his degree in botany at the University of Warsaw, graduating in 1893 ...
, "in acknowledgement of his many contributions on cryptogams in northern Eurasia".
According to the authors, ''Elenkiniana'' shares similarities with the genus ''
Gyalolechia
''Gyalolechia'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi belonging to the family Teloschistaceae. It contains 18 species of crustose lichens.
Taxonomy
The genus was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed by Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo in 1852. He ...
'' (formerly known as ''
Fulgensia
''Fulgensia'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Teloschistaceae.
Gallery
Image:Fulgensia fulgens Psora decipiens 141007.jpg, ''Fulgensia fulgens'', above (yellow) ''Psora decipiens'', below (red), Tauberland, Germany
Image:Fulgensia ...
'' before Arup and colleagues' 2013 revision of the Teloschistaceae) but is distinguished by its typically lobate thalli, laminal
pseudocyphella
Pseudocyphellae (singular ''pseudocyphella'') are structures in lichens that appear as tiny pores on the outer surface (the cortex of the lichen. They are caused when there is a break in the cortex of the lichen, and the medullary hyphae extend t ...
e across the thallus surface, and the absence of numerous crystals in the cortical layer and inclusions in the
hymenium
The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some ...
. Despite this, the work "The 2016 classification of lichenized fungi", did not accept ''Elenkiniana'', considering it instead
synonymous
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
with ''Gyalolechia''. A similar opinion was expressed by Wilk and colleagues in 2021, who in their work preferred to maintain Arup et al.'s original 2013 classification pending additional research.
Description
Genus ''Elenkiniana'' is distinguished by its thallus, with hues ranging from yellow to bright orange or reddish orange. The thalli have pseudocyphellae, which are small, porous areas on the lichen surface that facilitate gas exchange. The of ''Elenkiniana'' is described as , indicating a structured arrangement of cells that resembles a
palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymology
''Palisade' ...
and is tightly woven.
The apothecia (fruiting bodies) of ''Elenkiniana'' are in form, meaning they have a margin that is similar in colour and texture to the thallus. Within these structures, the (the rim of tissue enclosing the spore-producing layer) is very thin and often indistinct. are (containing two compartments separated by a partition with a hole), and there are typically eight spores per ascus. 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 ...
, a type of asexual spore, range from (rod-like) to narrowly bacilliform in shape.
A distinctive feature of ''Elenkiniana'' lichens is their chemical reaction to a solution of potassium hydroxide (i.e., the K+ spot test), turning purple upon contact. This reaction is due to the presence of anthraquinones, specifically those of the parietin and fragilin , as well as depsidones.