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 ...
of
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 ...
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 2017 by 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 ...
and Laszlo Lőkös, with '' O. neobaltistanica'' assigned as the type species. The genus name honours lichenologist Josef Poelt, "in recognition of his enormous contribution to lichenology".
''Opeltia'' occupies a distinct
monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
branch within the ''Mikhtomia''
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
, a phylogenetically related group of taxa that also includes the genera ''
Hanstrassia
''Hanstrassia'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has two species. ''Hanstrassia'' is characterised by a predominantly and thallus, distinguishing it from its close relative '' Elenkiniana''.
Taxonomy
''Hans ...
'', '' Laundonia'', and '' Oxneriopsis''. This clade is in the subfamily Caloplacoideae of 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 ...
.
Description
''Opeltia'' shares similarities with ''
Blastenia
''Blastenia'' is a genus of lichenized fungi belonging to the family Teloschistaceae. The genus was first described in 1852 by Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo.
The genus has cosmopolitan distribution.
Species include:
*'' Blastenia acaciae''
*' ...
''. However, it can be distinguished by certain key characteristics. The thallus of ''Opeltia'' has a crustose form, appearing to with an abrupt margin. Its colouration varies, typically presenting in shades of whitish, dirty white, and occasional yellowish tones. ''Opeltia'' lacks asexual
propagule
In biology, a propagule is any material that functions in propagating an organism to the next stage in its life cycle, such as by dispersal. The propagule is usually distinct in form from the parent organism. Propagules are produced by organisms ...
s or soredia.
The apothecia of ''Opeltia'' are , occasionally manifesting as , biatorine, or . The distinctive feature is the dark reddish-orange to rusty brown colouration of the apothecial . The in ''Opeltia'' has a structure in the basal portion, transitioning into a mesodermatous paraplectenchymatous form with a well-developed matrix. A noteworthy trait is the presence of oil 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 ...
and subhymenium. Reproduction in ''Opeltia'' is characterized by eight-spored
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 ascospores that can be quite variable in shape.
Habitat and distribution
''Opeltia neobaltistanica'', and ''O. juniperina'' occur in Eurasia, while ''O. arizonica'' occurs in southern North America.
Species
* ''
Opeltia arizonica
''Opeltia'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species of corticolous lichen, corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens.
Taxonomy
The genus was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed in 2017 by ...