''Scutaria'' is a single-species fungal

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 ...

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 ...

. It contains the species ''Scutaria andina'', found in South America. The

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 ...

of this lichen has a

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data ...

that is intermediate between

crustose Crustose is a habit of some types of algae and lichens in which the organism grows tightly appressed to a substrate, forming a biological layer. ''Crustose'' adheres very closely to the substrates at all points. ''Crustose'' is found on rocks and ...

and foliose.

Taxonomy

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 ...

in 2013 by the lichenologists Ulrik Søchting, Ulf Arup, and Patrick Frödén. The genus name honours the Argentinian lichenologist Nora Scutari. ''Scutaria andina'' was first formally described by

Veli Räsänen Veli Johannes Paavo Bartholomeus Räsänen (24 August 1888 – 16 July 1953) was a Finnish lichenologist. Early life and education Veli Räsänen was born on 24 August 1888 in Simo, Finland. Räsänen's brother was the linguist Martti Räsä ...

in 1939, who classified it as a species of ''

Xanthoria ''Xanthoria'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. Common names include orange lichen,

''. Scutari and colleagues had proposed to transfer the

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

to the genus ''

Caloplaca ''Caloplaca'' is a lichen genus comprising a number of distinct species. Members of the genus are commonly called firedot lichen, jewel lichen.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, gold lichens, "ora ...

'' in 2002.

Phylogenetically In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

, ''Scutaria'' is sister to a

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, ...

containing the genera ''

Josefpoeltia ''Josefpoeltia'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species. The genus was circumscribed in 1997 by lichenologists Sergey Kondratyuk and Ingvar Kärnefelt, with '' J. boliviensis'' assigned as the ...

'', ''

Teloschistes ''Teloschistes'' is a genus of lichens in the family Teloschistaceae. It was circumscribed by Norwegian botanist Johannes Musaeus Norman in 1852. The name of the genus means "split ends". Species *'' Teloschistes chrysophthalmus'' *'' Teloschis ...

'', and ''

Villophora ''Villophora'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the subfamily Teloschistoideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It has 9 species. The genus was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed in 2013 by Ulrik Søchting, Ulf Arup, and Patrik Frödén ...

''; the entire group forms a well-supported clade with ''

Wetmoreana ''Wetmoreana'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has two crustose, saxicolous (rock-dwelling) species. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by Ulf Arup, Ulrik Søchting, and Patrik Frödén, with ''Wetm ...

''. ''Scutaria'' is in the subfamily Teloschistoideae of the family

Description

''Scutaria'' forms an (irregularly branched or spread out) and almost (having -like structures)

. This thallus is often coated with a fine, powdery substance () and attaches to the through individual

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 ...

e (fungus filaments) and hyphal strands. The outer layer of the lichen, known as the cortex, is intricately structured with tightly interwoven cells (). The apothecia (fruiting bodies) are common in ''Scutaria'' and are mostly type, where the margin is less distinct. These apothecia are typically pinkish and often have a coating. The spores produced by these apothecia are , meaning they are divided into two components () separated by a central

septum 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 ...

with a perforation or . , which are small, flask-shaped asexual reproductive structures, are mostly present in ''Scutaria''. The (asexual spores), produced within these pycnidia are rod-shaped (). In terms of chemistry, ''Scutaria'' is primarily characterised by the presence of fragilin, a secondary metabolite ( lichen product), with occasional small amounts of other substances like parietin, emodin, and 7-chloroparietinic acid.

Habitat and distribution

''Scutaria andina'' is found in South America, where it typically grows on twigs. Originally described from specimens collected in Argentina,

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

analysis was later used to confirm its presence in Bolivia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q25907180 , from2=Q25907181 Teloschistales Teloschistales genera Lichen genera Taxa described in 2013 Taxa named by Ulrik Søchting Taxa named by Ulf Arup Taxa named by Patrik Frödén