Fungalpedia – Note 451, Crocellina

 

Crocellina Tehler & Ertz

Citation when using this data: Tibpromma et al. (in prep.) – Fungalpedia, Lichenicolous fungi.

Index FungorumFacesoffungi, MycoBankGenBank, Fig. 1 

Classification: Roccellaceae, Arthoniales, Arthoniomycetidae, Arthoniomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi.

Crocellina was proposed as a new genus by Ertz et al. (2014) in Roccellaceae (Arthoniales, Arthoniomycetes) and contained only one species, Crocellina cinerea, which is endemic to Socotra Island, where it grows on calcareous rocks near the sea. Morphologically, Crocellina resembles Roccellina, but differs mainly by the three-layered medulla with a conspicuously croceus and pronounced brown-tipped cortex hyphae (Ertz et al. 2014). Crocellina grown on substrate have a cream-colored thallus crustose, cortex with anticlinally arranged brown-tipped hyphae in a brownish gelatinous matrix, and three-layered thalli medulla. The sexual morph is characterized by apothecioid ascomata with a constricted base and fusiform ascospores, hyaline, curved, or straight. The asexual morph is characterized by grey spots, pycnidia, filiform conidia, semi-circled, and approx (Ertz et al. 2014). Crocellina has been reported to have chemical reactions: Cortex C+ red, K–, PD–; medulla C–, K+ purple in middle saffron yellow layer otherwise negative, PD– (Ertz et al. 2014). Crocellina cinerea has not been recollected, and no further species have been introduced to this genus, which remains monotypic.

Type species: Crocellina cinerea (Müll. Arg.) Tehler & Ertz

Other accepted species: This genus is monotypic.

 

Figure 1 – Morphology of Crocellina cinerea. a Appearance of ascomata on substrates. b Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 2 mm, b = 10 μm. Redrawn from Ertz et al. (2014).

 

Reference 

Ertz D, Tehler A, Irestedt M, Frisch A. et al. 2014 – A large-scale phylogenetic revision of Roccellaceae (Arthoniales) reveals eight new genera. Fungal Diversity 70, 31–53.

 

Entry by

Lu L, Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, Yunnan 655011, China; Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand. 3 School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand.

 

(Edited by Saowaluck Tibpromma, Samaneh Chaharmiri-Dokhaharani, & Achala R. Rathnayaka)

 

Published online 2 December 2024