Protoroccella is a fungal genus in the family Roccellaceae.[3] It consists of the single species Protoroccella minima,[4] a rare fruticose lichen found in Chile that grows on cactus.
| Protoroccella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Arthoniomycetes |
| Order: | Arthoniales |
| Family: | Roccellaceae |
| Genus: | Protoroccella Follmann ex Follmann (2001) |
| Species: | P. minima
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| Binomial name | |
| Protoroccella minima (R.Sant.) Follmann ex Follmann (2001)
| |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
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Genus
Species
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Taxonomy
editThe genus was originally circumscribed by the German lichenologist Gerhard Follmann in 1995. He proposed the genus to contain the species originally named Roccella minima by Rolf Santesson in 1944.[5][6] However, the name was not validly published, because the name was not accompanied by a description or diagnosis of the taxon in Latin,[7] which was a requirement of the nomenclatural rules at the time. In 2001, L. Sánchez-Pinto and Margot Schulz published the name,[8] but again invalidly.[9] Later in 2001, Follmann published the genus name validly.[10]
Protoroccella follmannii is a species that was proposed for inclusion in the genus in 2001. This species, found growing on the ribs of the cactus Copiapoa atacamensis in Antofagasta, was also not validly published.[11][12]
Description
editProtoroccella minima is a fruticose lichen, meaning it has a bushy, branched appearance. The branches grow up to 3 mm tall and are a pale, whitish-grey colour. The tips of the branches are club-shaped (clavate) and slightly warty (verruculose), and the branches themselves may be partially or completely hollow inside.[10]
The ascomata (fruiting bodies) are flat or slightly wavy and measure between 0.5 and 1.5 mm in diameter. These ascomata can sometimes divide into smaller sections. The spores are small, measuring 9–15 μm long and 3–4 μm wide. Protoroccella minima also has numerous conidiomata, which are structures that produce asexual spores.[10]
Chemically, the lichen reacts to certain spot tests, with the cortex and inner tissue (medulla) showing a yellowish-green to orange colour when treated with potassium hydroxide solution. The main chemical compound present in the lichen is psoromic acid, which is one of the secondary metabolites the lichen produces.[10]
Habitat and distribution
editProtoroccella minima is a rare species known to occur only in northern Chile, where it grows on cacti.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Synonymy. Current Name: Protoroccella Follmann, J. Hattori bot. Lab. 90: 261 (2001)". Species Fungorum. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Synonymy. Current Name: Protoroccella minima (R. Sant.) Follmann, J. Hattori bot. Lab. 90: 261 (2001)". Species Fungorum. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ Wijayawardene, N.N.; Hyde, K.D.; Dai, D.Q.; Sánchez-García, M.; Goto, B.T.; Saxena, R.K.; et al. (2022). "Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa – 2021". Mycosphere. 13 (1): 53–453 [90]. doi:10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2. hdl:1854/LU-8754813.
- ^ "Protoroccella". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ Santesson, R. (1944). "Contribution to the lichen flora of South America". Arkiv før Botanik. 31A (7): 1–28.
- ^ Follmann, G. (1995). "On the impoverishment of the lichen flora and the retrogression of the lichen vegetation in coastal central and northern Chile during the last decades". Cryptogamic Botany. 5 (3): 224–231.
- ^ "Record Details: Protoroccella Follmann, Cryptog. bot. 5(3): 230 (1995)". Index Fungorum. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ Sanchez-Pinto, L.; Schulz, M. (1995). "Protoroccella follmannii sp. nov. (Roccellaceae, Opegraphales), eine neue Halbstrauchflechte aus der Atacamawiiste (Nordchile)". In Daniels, Fred J.A.; Schulz, Margot; Peine, Joerg (eds.). Flechten Follmann. Contributions to lichenology in honour of Gerhard Follmann. Koenigstein: Koeltz Scientific Books. pp. 287–299. ISBN 978-3-87429-380-8.
- ^ "Record Details: Protoroccella Sánchez-Pinto & M. Schulz, Flechten Follmann, Contributions to Lichenology in Honour of Gerhard Follmann (Cologne): 319 (2001)". Index Fungorum. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Follmann, G. (2001). "An integrated key to, and a critical survey of the South American representatives of the lichen family Roccellaceae (Arthoniales)". Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory. 90: 251–267. doi:10.18968/jhbl.90.0_251.
- ^ "Record Details: Protoroccella follmannii Sánchez-Pinto & M. Schulz, Flechten Follmann, Contributions to Lichenology in Honour of Gerhard Follmann (Cologne): 319 (2001)". Index Fungorum. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Record Details: Protoroccella follmannii Sánchez-Pinto & M. Schulz ex Follmann, J. Hattori bot. Lab. 90: 261 (2001)". Index Fungorum. Retrieved 12 September 2024.