''Tassiloa'' is a

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 ...

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 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 ...

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 has two species.

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 2015 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 ...

Ingvar Kärnefelt Jan Eric Ingvar Kärnefelt (born 1944) is a Swedish lichenologist. Early life and education Kärnefelt was born in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1944. His initial goal in his higher-level studies at University of Cologne in 1966–1967 was to become ...

, Arne Thell,

Elix Elix may refer to: * Əlix, a village in the municipality of Quturğan in the Qusar Rayon of Azerbaijan * John Alan Elix (born 1941) (Elix), an Australian lichenologist See also * Helix (disambiguation) A helix is a spiral-like space curve. Heli ...

and Jae-Seoun Hur. According to their

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 ...

analysis, ''Tassiloa'' appears as a

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to the genus '' Catenarina'', in the subfamily Teloschistoideae of family

. The genus name honours German lichenologist Tassilo Feuerer.

Description

''Tassiloa'' is identifiable by its vibrant orange colouration. Its

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 ...

can range from a

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 ...

appearance to a more elevated, form. The surface of the thallus may be either smooth or have a denser texture. This genus is further characterized by that are reminiscent of terete (i.e., cylindrical or slightly tapering)

isidia An isidium is a vegetative reproductive structure present in some lichens. Isidia are outgrowths of the thallus surface, and are corticated (i.e., containing the outermost layer of the thallus), usually with a columnar structure, and consisting o ...

in structure. These lobules or isidia stand out predominantly and align vertically. When considering reproductive attributes, the of ''Tassiloa'' can be categorized as either or . Its has a tissue structure. In terms of chemistry, ''Tassiloa'' contains anthraquinones, notably those linked with the parietin .

Habitat and distribution

''Tassiloa digitaurea'' is found growing on rock surfaces,

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...

, and even over other lichen species. These habitats are typically located within exposed outcrops amidst

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

vegetation and

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

s in coastal regions. Notably, while they are found in coastal areas, their habitats are not strictly maritime. ''T. wetmorei'' is parasitic ( lichenicolous), targeting various

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 ...

lichens found on non-

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

rocks. ''Tassiloa ''species are native to both the American continents. ''T. digitaurea'' is identified in southern Patagonia. Meanwhile, ''T. wetmorei'' has been recorded in the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona ...

located in southwestern North America.

Species

*'' Tassiloa digitaurea'' *'' Tassiloa wetmorei'' 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 ...

''Tassiloa magellanica'' is now known by its original name, '' Caloplaca magellanica''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q43278989 Teloschistales Teloschistales genera Taxa described in 2015 Taxa named by Sergey Kondratyuk Taxa named by Ingvar Kärnefelt Taxa named by John Alan Elix Taxa named by Arne Thell Taxa named by Jae-Seoun Hur