''Stereocaulon alpinum'' is a species of

fungus 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 th ...

belonging to the family

Stereocaulaceae The Stereocaulaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecanorales. It contains five genera. Species of this family are widely distributed in temperate boreal and austral regions. Genera *'' Hertelidea'' – 6 spp. *''Lepraria' ...

. It is similar to '' Stereocaulon paschale'' but differs from it in containing

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...

of the genus ''

Nostoc ''Nostoc'', also known as star jelly, troll’s butter, spit of moon, fallen star, witch's butter (not to be confused with the fungi commonly known as witches' butter), and witch’s jelly, is the most common genus of cyanobacteria found in vari ...

'' while ''S. paschale'' contains cyanobacteria of the genus '' Stigonema'', which have a darker colour than ''Nostoc''.Flóra Íslands lora of Iceland(no year)
Dílbreyskja - ''Stereocaulon paschale''
(in Icelandic). Retrieved on April 14th 2021.

Ecology

''Stereocaulon alpinum'' is a known host species to

lichenicolous fungi A lichenicolous fungus is a parasitic fungus that only lives on lichen as the host. A lichenicolous fungus is not the same as the fungus that is the component of the lichen, which is known as a lichenized fungus. They are most commonly specific to ...

, which are pathogenic or commensal species living on the surface or in 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 the lichen. These include: * ''

Arthonia stereocaulina ''Arthonia stereocaulina'' is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Arthoniaceae. Distribution ''Arthonia stereocaulina'' has been reported from Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Russia and Svalbard. Host species As the name suggests, ''Artho ...

'' * ''

Catillaria stereocaulorum ''Catillaria'' is a genus of crustose lichens in the family Catillariaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Italian lichenologist Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo in 1852. It is the type genus of Catillariaceae, which was circumscribed by Austrian l ...

'' * ''

Cercidospora stereocaulorum ''Cercidospora stereocaulorum'' is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the genus '' Cercidospora'' but it has not been assigned to a family. It is known to parasitise lichens of the genus ''Stereocaulon''. Similar species Cercidospora stereoca ...

'' * '' Diploschistes muscorum'' * ''

Endococcus nanellus ''Endococcus nanellus'' is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the order Dothideales. It is known from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Hawaii, Japan, Russia, South-Korea, and Kazakhstan. Host species ''Endococcus nanellus'' is known to infect numero ...

'' * '' Lasiosphaeriopsis stereocaulicola'' * '' Lichenopeltella stereocaulorum'' * '' Lichenosticta dombrovskae'' * '' Merismatum decolorans'' * '' Opegrapha stereocaulicola'' * ''

Polycoccum trypethelioides ''Polycoccum'' is a genus of lichenicolous fungi A lichenicolous fungus is a parasitic fungus that only lives on lichen as the host. A lichenicolous fungus is not the same as the fungus that is the component of the lichen, which is known as a l ...

'' * '' Rhymbocarpus stereocaulorum'' * ''

Scutula stereocaulorum ''Scutula stereocaulorum'' is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Ramalinaceae. Host species ''Scutula stereocaulorum'' can use lichens of the genus ''Stereocaulon'' as hosts. It is very common and so far the following host species h ...

'' * '' Stigmidium beringicum'' * '' Taeniolella christiansenii''

References

Stereocaulaceae {{lecanorales-stub