''Lopharia'' 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 ...

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

Polyporaceae The Polyporaceae are a family of poroid fungi belonging to the Basidiomycota. The flesh of their fruit bodies varies from soft (as in the case of the dryad's saddle illustrated) to very tough. Most members of this family have their hymeniu ...

. 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 ...

Károly Kalchbrenner Károly Kalchbrenner (born 5 May 1807 in Pöttelsdorf, died 5 June 1886 in Spišské Vlachy) was a Hungarian mycologist. He trained in theology early in life and became a priest in Spišské Vlachy, north-eastern Slovakia. His contributions inc ...

and

Peter MacOwan Peter MacOwan (14 November 1830 in Hull, England – 30 November 1909 in Uitenhage, Cape Province) was a British colonial botanist and teacher in South Africa. Early life and education He was the son of Peter McOwan, a Wesleyan minister fro ...

in 1881.

Description

Fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

of ''Lopharia'' fungi are crust like, to effused-reflexed (like a crust with the edges curled out to form

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

). The sterile portion of the crust surface is

tomentose Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

, while the spore-bearing surface (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 ...

) is smooth or tuberculate. The colour ranges from greyish-white to cream to pale yellowish. ''Lopharia'' has a dimitic

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one or ...

l system, meaning that it contains both generative and skeletal hyphae. The generative hyphae have

clamp connection A clamp connection is a hook-like structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is a characteristic feature of Basidiomycetes fungi. It is created to ensure that each cell, or segment of hypha separated by septa (cross walls), rece ...

Basidia A basidium () is a microscopic sporangium (a spore-producing structure) found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi which are also called tertiary mycelium, developed from secondary mycelium. Tertiary mycelium is highly-c ...

are club shaped with four

sterigmata In biology, a sterigma (pl. sterigmata) is a small supporting structure. It commonly refers to an extension of the basidium (the spore-bearing cells) consisting of a basal filamentous part and a slender projection which carries a spore at the ti ...

, and have a clamp at the base.

Spores 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 ...

are cylindrical to ellipsoid in shape with a smooth surface. They are

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 ...

(translucent), and have oily contents.

Species

A 2008 estimate placed 13 species in ''Lopharia''. ,

Index Fungorum ''Index Fungorum'' is an international project to index all formal names ( scientific names) in the fungus kingdom. the project is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, one of three partners along with Landcare Research and the Institute of M ...

accepts 15 species: *'' Lopharia albida'' Rick (1938) *'' Lopharia americana'' Rick (1928) *'' Lopharia amethystea'' (Hjortstam & Ryvarden) A.L.Welden (2010) *'' Lopharia bambusae'' Rick (1960) *'' Lopharia cinerascens'' (Schwein.) G.Cunn. (1956) *'' Lopharia cystidiosa'' (Rehill & B.K.Bakshi) Boidin (1969) *'' Lopharia javanica'' Henn. & E.Nyman (1900) *'' Lopharia lilacina'' (Berk. & Broome) A.L.Welden (2010) *'' Lopharia ochracea'' G.Cunn. (1963) *'' Lopharia papyracea'' (Bres.) D.A.Reid (1957) *'' Lopharia papyrina'' (Mont.) Boidin (1959) *'' Lopharia pilosiuscula'' (Hjortstam & Ryvarden) A.L.Welden (2010) *'' Lopharia pseudocinerascens'' Boidin & Gilles (2003) *'' Lopharia rimosissima'' Rick (1960) *'' Lopharia rugulosa'' (Berk. & M.A.Curtis) Hjortstam (1995)

References

Polyporaceae Polyporales genera Taxa described in 1881 {{Polyporales-stub