''Hertelidea'' 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 ...

crustose lichen Crustose lichens are lichens that form a crust which strongly adheres to the Substrate (biology), substrate (soil, rock, tree bark, etc.), making separation from the substrate impossible without destruction. The basic structure of crustose lichen ...

s in the family Stereocaulaceae. Characteristics of the genus include carbon-black ring or outer margin (exciple) around the fruit body disc (

apothecium 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 ...

), eight-spored, ''

Micarea ''Micarea'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Pilocarpaceae. The widely distributed genus contains 126 species and new species are described actively. Species in the genus are crustose lichens and their photobiont (the non-fungal organ ...

''-type

asci ASCI or Asci may refer to: * Advertising Standards Council of India * Asci, the plural of ascus, in fungal anatomy * Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative * American Society for Clinical Investigation * Argus Sour Crude Index * Association of ...

and mostly simple,

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none. Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is ...

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 lack a transparent outer layer. ''Hertelidea'' species mostly grow on wood, although less frequently they are found on bark or soil. While 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 ...

, '' Hertelidea botryosa'', has a widespread distribution, most of the other species are found only in Australia.

Taxonomy

''Hertelidea'' 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 2004 by Christian Printzen and Gintaras Kantvilas to accommodate species that were formerly referred to as the "''

Lecidea ''Lecidea'' is a genus of crustose lichens with a carbon black ring or outer margin (exciple) around the fruiting body disc (apothecium), usually (or always) found growing on (saxicolous) or in (endolithic) rock.Field Guide to California Lichens, ...

botryosa''" group. Four species were originally included: ''Hertelidea botryosa'', ''H. eucalypti'', ''H. geophila'', and ''H. pseudobotryosa''. ''H. aspera'' was transferred to the genus from ''Lecidea'' in 2005, while ''H. wankaensis'' was described as a new species in 2006. The genus name honours

Hannes Hertel Hannes Hertel is a German botanist and taxonomist and was Director of the State Herbarium in Munich, Germany 1992 - 2004. His specialist areas are the fungi and lichens. Early life and education Hannes Hertel was born in 1939. His doctorate was ...

(b.1939), a German Taxonomist and lichenologist and former Director of the

Botanische Staatssammlung München The Botanische Staatssammlung München is a notable herbarium and scientific center maintained by thStaatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns Its building is located within the Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg area at Menzinger ...

, who was the subject of the

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

in which this species was published.

Description

''Hertelidea'' lichens have a crustose

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 ...

that is sometimes sorediate. Their apothecia, which are often arranged in conspicuous clusters, are lecideine, meaning that they have a carbonized thin black ring (an

exciple A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.paraphyses Paraphyses are erect sterile filament-like support structures occurring among the reproductive apparatuses of fungi, ferns, bryophytes and some thallophytes. The singular form of the word is paraphysis. In certain fungi, they are part of the fe ...

are weakly to moderately branched and anastomosing, and have pigmented, capitate tips that separate readily in KOH. The

are eight-spored and ''

''-like, featuring a prominent, amyloid thallus that is more or less lacking an ocular chamber but is pierced by a more darkly staining tubular structure. The

s are simple or rarely one-

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 ...

, colourless, and non-halonate.

Chemistry

One species, ''H. eucalypti'', contains homosekikaic acid, whereas the others contain perlatolic acid.

Habitat and distribution

Species of ''Hertelidea'' are typically found on charred and rotting wood. In Australia, the logs and stumps of eucalypts are a particularly favoured

substratum In linguistics, a stratum (Latin for "layer") or strate is a language that influences or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum or substrate is a language that has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum or sup ...

Species

*''

Hertelidea aspera ''Hertelidea'' is a genus of crustose lichens in the family Stereocaulaceae. Characteristics of the genus include carbon-black ring or outer margin (exciple) around the fruit body disc (apothecium), eight-spored, ''Micarea''-type asci and mostly ...

'' (Müll.Arg.) Kantvilas & Elix (2005) – Australia *'' Hertelidea botryosa'' (Fr.) Printzen & Kantvilas (2004) – boreal and temperate regions in Northern Hemisphere *'' Hertelidea eucalypti'' Kantvilas & Printzen (2004) – Australia *'' Hertelidea geophila'' Kantvilas & Printzen (2004) – Australia *'' Hertelidea pseudobotryosa'' R.C.Harris, Ladd & Printzen (2004) – Australia; North America *'' Hertelidea wankaensis'' Kantvilas & Elix (2006) – Australia

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10522756 Stereocaulaceae Lichen genera Lecanorales genera Taxa described in 2004 Taxa named by Gintaras Kantvilas