''Tremella imshaugiae'', is a lichenicolous (

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.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 ...

that is parasitic on the lichen ''

Imshaugia aleurites ''Imshaugia'' is a genus of seven species of foliose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. They are commonly known as starburst lichens. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed by Susan Meyer in 1985 as a segregate of '' Parmeliopsis''. The genus nam ...

.'' It is a species of

Basidiomycota Basidiomycota () is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. More specifically, Basi ...

belonging to the family

Tremellaceae The Tremellaceae are a family of fungi in the order Tremellales. The family is cosmopolitan and contains both teleomorphic and anamorphic species, most of the latter being yeasts. All teleomorphs in the Tremellaceae are parasites of other fungi, ...

Description

The fungus is typically found on 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 ''Imshaugia aleurites'' with an amber-colored fruiting bodies 0.1–1 mm in diameter. Like other fungi in the family Tremellaceae it has two to four celled

septate 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 ...

basidia that average at 15.5–21.5 × 13–16.5

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 ...

. Unlike others in the family Tremellaceae, it has somewhat spherical basidiospores averaging 6.5–9 × 6.5–8.5 μm. Its closest relative is '' Tremella diploschistina''.

Habitat and distribution

The species has been documented in four areas across the globe including Scotland, Spain, USA, and Canada. The first documented occurrence was in 2012 on the

Great Wass Island Great Wass Island (approx. 1700 acres) lies in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the State of Maine, United States. On the mainland is Jonesport in Washington County. The island is 5 mi (8 km) long, 1.5 mi (2.5 km) wide an ...

Preserve in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, USA. The lichen is recorded within habitats that contain ''Imshaugia aleurites'' that include

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

forests, particularly

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

s and

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

References

{{taxonbar, from1=Q123052408 imshaugiae Lichenicolous fungi Fungi described in 2020 Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Taxa named by Paul Diederich Taxa named by Brian John Coppins Taxa named by Mats Wedin Fungus species Taxa named by Richard Clinton Harris