''Wahlenbergiella'' 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 ...

saxicolous A saxicolous lichen is a lichen that grows on rock. The prefix "sax" from the Latin means "rock" or "stone". Characteristics Saxicolous lichens exhibit very slow growth rates. They may develop on rock substrates for long periods of time, give ...

(rock-dwelling),

crustose lichen Crustose lichens are lichens that form a crust which strongly adheres to the Substrate (biology), substrate (soil, rock, tree bark, etc.), making separation from the substrate impossible without destruction. The basic structure of crustose lichen ...

s in the family

Verrucariaceae The Verrucariaceae are a family of mostly lichenised fungi in the order Verrucariales. The lichen-forming species, which comprise the vast majority of the family, have a wide variety of thallus forms, and include crustose (crust-like), foliose ( ...

. It has three species, all of which live in marine

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

s where they get periodically immersed in seawater. ''Wahlenbergiella'' closely resembles another lichen genus that includes marine species, '' Hydropunctaria''. ''Wahlenbergiella'' 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 2009 by

Cécile Gueidan Cécile Gueidan is a mycologist and lichenologist who applies morphological and molecular biological methods to the origin and taxonomy of fungi that live in lichen symbioses and within rocks. Early life and education Gueidan began working on ...

and Holger Thüs. They initially included two species: '' W. striatula'', and the type,'' W. mucosa''. The generic name honours Swedish naturalist

Göran Wahlenberg Georg (Göran) Wahlenberg (1 October 1780 – 22 March 1851) was a Sweden, Swedish natural history, naturalist. He was born in Filipstad Municipality, Kroppa, Värmland County. Wahlenberg matriculated at Uppsala University in 1792, received ...

, who originally described both of these species.

Species

*'' Wahlenbergiella mucosa'' *'' Wahlenbergiella striatula'' *'' Wahlenbergiella tavaresiae''

References

Verrucariales Taxa described in 2009 Marine fungi Lichen genera Eurotiomycetes genera Taxa named by Cécile Gueidan {{Eurotiomycetes-stub