Trizodia silvestris sp. nov., a novel species of cyanolichen from Japan

Author:
Moriyama T., Endo C., Isagi Y., Tanaka C., Ohkuma M. & Hashimoto A.
Year:
2025
Journal:
Symbiosis
Pages:
96: 53–66
Url:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-025-01059-w
thumb
Unidentified lichenized fungi symbiotic with cyanobacteria collected in Japan were found to exhibit characteristics similar to those of Trizodia acrobia, a fungus that grows on Sphagnum and loosely associates with cyanobacterial colonies. The differences between our samples and T. acrobia were its smaller asci and ascospores and its mode of association with cyanobacteria, wherein our samples formed globose thalli within which hyphal haustoria intruded into cyanobacterial cells, whereas the hyphae of T. acrobia only loosely associate with cyanobacterial cells without forming any structure. Moreover, thalli and ascomata of the collected specimens were found on the moist surface of peeled logs and bryophytes, whereas T. acrobia grows exclusively on Sphagnum. Based on our phylogenetic analysis using internal transcribed spacer and large subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA regions and mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal DNA region of the mycobiont, the collected specimens were grouped with T. acrobia and an unidentified species of Trizodia. On the basis of these results, we describe T. silvestris to accommodate the collected specimens. The cyanobacteria associated with T. acrobia have been reported to be Nostoc without any molecular approach, whereas the cyanobiont of the collected specimens were found to belong to Nostoc sensu stricto in the analysis based on 16 S rRNA gene. Because the genus Trizodia was not grouped with any other fungal genus symbiotic with Nostoc, the symbiosis with Nostoc might have evolved independently within the genus Trizodia from a loose association to the interaction with a differentiated structure that could be regarded as lichen thalli. Keywords: Ascomycota · Bryophilous fungi · Cyanotrophy · Evolution of lichenization · Lichinomycetes.
Id:
38940
Submitter:
zpalice
Post_time:
Sunday, 28 September 2025 22:25