Bryostigma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bryostigma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bryostigma apotheciorum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Arthoniomycetes |
| Order: | Arthoniales |
| Genus: | Bryostigma Poelt & Döbbeler (1979) |
| Type species | |
| Bryostigma leucodontis Poelt & Döbbeler (1979) | |
Bryostigma is a genus of fungi of uncertain familial placement in the order Arthoniales.[1] The genus is characterised by its thin, patchy growth that either partially embeds into its growing surface or forms an irregular, granular surface, with distinctive red or blue iodine staining of its hyphae and very small fruiting bodies. Most Bryostigma species are parasitic (lichenicolous), growing on other lichens, though a few species like B. lapidicola grow independently on stone or moss. While the genus was initially established with a single species growing on moss, it was significantly expanded in 2020 when several species were transferred from the related genus Arthonia based on DNA analysis, though this taxonomic reclassification has been subject to some scientific dispute. As of 2024, the genus includes seventeen species – thirteen parasitic and four independent lichen species.
The genus was circumscribed in 1979 by Josef Poelt and Peter Döbbeler, with the muscicolous lichen Bryostigma leucodontis assigned as the type species.[2] A dozen Arthonia species were transferred into the genus in 2020[3] following molecular phylogenetic analysis of the family Arthoniaceae that showed distinct phylogenetic lineages that were basal to that family. The genus contains several parasitic species that occur on hosts having chlorococcoid photobionts (i.e., green algae that have a spherical shape).[4] These taxonomic changes have been disputed, however; in the Revisions of British and Irish Lichens series, the authors note: "Work by Kondratyuk et al. (2020) included twelve new combinations into Bryostigma for these lichenicolous species, but added minimally to understanding of the clade and introduced several errors."[5]
