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 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 three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens. ''Upretia'' is characterised by its small and narrow, rod-shaped . The distribution of the genus ranges from mid-altitude rocky terrains in India to both arid and higher altitudinal environments in China.
Taxonomy
''Upretia'' 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 ...
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 ...
, Arne Thell, and Jae-Seoun Hur in 2017, with ''Upretia amarkantakana'' assigned as the type species. ''Upretia'' is a member of the subfamily Caloplacoideae of the
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 ...
. The genus is named in honour of the Indian lichenologist
, recognising his contributions to the study of Indian lichens.
Its closest relative, the monotypic genus ''
Ioplaca
''Ioplaca'' is a genus of crustose lichens in the family Teloschistaceae. The genus was circumscribed in 1977 by Czech lichenologist Josef Poelt with '' Ioplaca sphalera'' assigned as the type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species ...
'' from the eastern Himalayas, is differentiated by its thallus colour, areolae structure, and apothecia.
Description
The genus ''Upretia'' is characterized by a crustose thallus that is typically orbicular in shape and ranges from to somewhat in form. The central part of the thallus often has a subsquamulose appearance but can sometimes be to . Its colour varies from olive-grey to brownish grey or ash-grey. The thalline lobes of ''Upretia'' are generally narrow to wide, branched, and have a flat to slightly convex surface, often covered with a fine dusting known as .
The outermost layer of the thallus, or layer, is thin and made of tightly interwoven cells (). The uppermost cells in this layer are typically brownish, but there is no distinct . The inner layer of the thallus, or medulla, is white. Both a prothallus and are usually present and are characterized by their black colour.
The apothecia of ''Upretia'' are in form, meaning they have a that is the same colour as the thallus. They start as immersed structures in their young stage and become as they mature. The of the apothecia ranges in colour from orange to brownish and can be either concave or flat. The , the layer beneath the thalline margin, also has a paraplectenchymatous structure. The
paraphyses
Paraphyses are erect sterile filament-like support structures occurring among the reproductive apparatuses of fungi, ferns, bryophytes and some thallophytes. The singular form of the word is paraphysis.
In certain fungi, they are part of the fe ...
, or sterile filaments within the apothecia, contain oil droplets. Each
ascus
An ascus (; ) is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. Each ascus usually contains eight ascospores (or octad), produced by meiosis followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or s ...
typically contains eight spores. These are clear (
hyaline
A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none.
Histopathology
Hyaline cartilage is ...
) and , 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 hole. The , or asexual spores, are narrowly (rod-shaped) and small.
''Upretia'' shows no colour change when exposed to potassium hydroxide (K−),
bleach
Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...
(C−), or
para-phenylenediamine
''p''-Phenylenediamine (PPD) is an organic compound with the formula C6H4(NH2)2. This derivative of aniline is a white solid, but samples can darken due to air oxidation. It is mainly used as a component of engineering polymers and composites lik ...
(Pd−) chemical spot tests. However, the apothecium disc and react with potassium hydroxide to turn purple, while not reacting to bleach or para-phenylenediamine. The presence of parietin and an olive spot at RF class 4 has been noted in the apothecial disc, based on previous research.
Habitat and distribution
''Upretia'' species grow on rocks in varying environmental conditions and altitudes. ''Upretia amarkantakana'' thrives on sun-exposed bauxite rocks. It is found in the Madhya Pradesh region of India, specifically in the
Anuppur
Anuppur is a City in northeastern Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Anuppur tehsil and Anuppur District. Previously, it was in Shahdol district.
Geography
Anuppur is located at . It has an aver ...
, Dindori, and Shahdol districts around the Amarkantak area. This species is typically found at altitudes ranging from . It is often found in the company of species from the genera '' Buellia'' and ''
Staurothele
''Staurothele'' is a genus of saxicolous lichen, saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens in the family Verrucariaceae. It has about 40 species. When the fungus is part of a lichen, the genus of lichen is List of common names of lichen gener ...
''. ''Upretia hueana'' is located in Madhya Pradesh as well, but it is found at a higher altitude, around . ''Upretia squamulosa'' is known to grow in arid environments and has a broader elevation range, from . Its distribution is limited to Yunnan province in China, marking a significant geographical distinction from its congenera in India.
Species
* ''
Upretia amarkantakana
''Upretia'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens. ''Upretia'' is characterised by its small and narrow, rod-shaped . The distribution of the gen ...