''Sclerococcum fissurinae'' is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family

Dactylosporaceae The Dactylosporaceae or Sclerococcaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the class Eurotiomycetes. It is the only family of the order Sclerococcales and subclass Sclerococcomycetidae. Taxonomy There are currently seven genera in the fami ...

. Found in Alaska, it was formally described as a new species in 2020 by Sergio Pérez-Ortega. The type specimen was collected in the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, just outside of Glacier Bay National Park. Here it was found growing on the

script lichen A script lichen, or graphid lichen, is a member of a group of lichens which have spore producing structures that look like writing on the lichen body. The structures are elongated and narrow apothecia called lirellae, which look like short scribbles ...

species '' Fissurina insidiosa'', which itself was growing on the bark of an alder tree. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

refers to its

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

. The fungus forms black, circular apothecia on its lichen host that are up to 0.6 mm in diameter. Its

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 ...

are eight-spored, measuring 25–33 by 8–12

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 ...

. The ascospores are brown with an

ellipsoid An ellipsoid is a surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation. An ellipsoid is a quadric surface; that is, a surface that may be defined as the ...

shape, and typical dimensions of 8–12 by 3–4 μm; they usually have three septa, although sometimes only one or two occur. A morphologically similar species in the same genus is '' S. parasiticum'' but in this fungus, which has a different host, the ascospores are slightly larger (9–15 by 3.5–5 μm).

References

Lecanorales Fungi described in 2020 Fungi of the United States Lichenicolous fungi Fungi without expected TNC conservation status Fungus species {{Lecanorales-stub