''Pseudephebe'' is a genus of fruticose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. It contains three species that grow on rocks.

Taxonomy

''Pseudephebe'' 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 po ...

by French lichenologist Maurice Choisy in 1930.

Molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

work published in 2016 showed that the genus is

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 ...

, and within the alectorioid

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, ...

of the family Parmeliaceae. This clade includes the genera '' Alectoria'', ''

Bryocaulon ''Bryocaulon'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Parmeliaceae. The genus has a widespread distribution in north temperate regions, and contains three species. The genus was circumscribed by Swedish lichenologist Ingvar Kärnefelt ...

'', '' Bryoria'', and '' Nodobryoria''. ''P. mariensis'' was added to the genus in 2019, transferred from the genus ''Bryoria''. Although Boluda and colleagues considered this to be

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 ''P. minuscula'', Fryday and colleagues "consider the distinct pseudocyphellae, detectable norstictic acid, thick cortex and the unique propagule system of the Falklands collections as sufficient to provisionally maintain it as a distinct species."

Description

''Pseudephebe'' lichens are small and fruticose, ranging in colour from brown to almost black. Their thalli somewhat resembles coarse, tangled hair, although sometimes regions around the periphery of thallus have flattened branches that are almost foliose.

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, isidia, and soredia are not present on the thallus. Ascospores are colourless, and measure 7–12 by 6–8

μm The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...

. All

lichen spot test A spot test in lichenology is a spot analysis used to help identify lichens. It is performed by placing a drop of a chemical on different parts of the lichen and noting the colour change (or lack thereof) associated with application of the chemical ...

s are negative.

Habitat and distribution

''Pseudephebe'' grows on siliceous rocks. It is a cool-temperate to arctic genus.

Species

*''

Pseudephebe mariensis ''Pseudephebe'' is a genus of fruticose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. It contains three species that saxicolous lichen, grow on rocks. Taxonomy ''Pseudephebe'' was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed by French lichenologist Maurice ...

'' (Øvstedal, Common & Fryday) Øvstedal & Fryday (2019) *''

Pseudephebe minuscula ''Pseudephebe minuscula'' is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. In North America, it is known colloquially as coarse rockwool. It has an antitropical distribution. Description The lichen has a dark brown to almost black ...

'' (Nyl. ex Arnold) Brodo & D.Hawksw. (1977) *''

Pseudephebe pubescens ''Pseudephebe pubescens'', also known as 'fine rock wool', is a Temperate climate, temperate Alpine states, alpine lichen. It is a member of the genus ''Pseudephebe'', a lichen group characterized by dense mats of brown to near-black "hairs". Ha ...

'' (L.) M.Choisy (1930)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5233909 Parmeliaceae Lichen genera Lecanorales genera Taxa named by Maurice Choisy Taxa described in 1930