Finding the needle in the haystack: a revision of Crittendenia, a surprisingly diverse lichenicolous genus of Agaricostilbomycetes, Pucciniomycotina
- Author:
- Diederich P., Millanes A.M., Etayo J., van den Boom P.P.G. & Wedin M.
- Year:
- 2022
- Journal:
- Bryologist
- Pages:
- 125(2): 248–293
- Url:
- https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745-125.2.248
While most lichenicolous fungi belong to the Ascomycota, c. 5% of them are members of the
Basidiomycota. Among these, the poorly known genus Crittendenia in the Pucciniomycotina has recently
been described for lichenicolous fungi with minuscule needle-like synnematous basidiomata. Although
only two species were hitherto known, the wide observed host-spectrum suggested a larger number of
mainly host-specific species. A classical revision using morphological characters alone proved to be
virtually impossible, because of the large variability of the material from each host genus, and the scant
morphological differences between hypothetically distinct species from different hosts. We studied over
sixty specimens and made a large number of measurements of the available morphological characters. We
additionally generated 18 ITS and 21 nuLSU rDNA sequences and conducted maximum likelihood and
Bayesian analyses. We also performed one species delimitation analysis (bPTP-ML). By combining
sometimes subtle morphological differences, host choice and phylogenetic results, we were able to accept
eighteen morphologically and/or genetically distinct species, all confined to a single host genus or to
several closely related host genera. Two further putative species are left unnamed, as richer material is
needed and molecular data are missing. Sixteen new species are described: Crittendenia absistentis (on
Bacidia absistens), C. bacidinae (on Bacidina apiahica), C. bryostigmatis (on Bryostigma muscigenum), C.
byssolomatis (on Byssoloma maderense), C. crassitunicata (on Melanohalea ushuaiensis), C. heterodermiae
(on Heterodermia comosa), C. hypotrachynae (on Hypotrachyna), C. kakouettae (on ‘Byssoloma’
kakouettae), C. lecanorae (on Lecanora), C. lecidellae (on Lecidella elaeochroma), C. lopadii (on Lopadium
disciforme), C. parvispora (on Bacidia), C. physciiphila (on Phaeophyscia, Physcia and Physciella), C.
physconiae (on Physconia distorta), C. stictae (on Sticta fuliginosa) and C. teloschistis (on Teloschistes).
Further, a ML analysis of the Agaricostilbomycetes using ITS and nuLSU sequences suggested that
Crittendenia cannot be included in any known family, and the new family Crittendeniaceae is therefore
described for the genus.
Keywords: Basidiomycetes, Chionosphaera, Crittendeniaceae, heterobasidiomycetes, lichenicolous fungi,
phylogeny, taxonomy.
- Id:
- 34299
- Submitter:
- zdenek
- Post_time:
- Tuesday, 12 April 2022 16:18