Diromma
Species of lichen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diromma is a monotypic fungal genus in the family Roccellaceae. It contains the single species Diromma dirinellum, a rare crustose lichen that grows as a parasite on the lichen Dirina ceratoniae. It has a distribution restricted to the Mediterranean Basin.[3]
| Diromma | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Arthoniomycetes |
| Order: | Arthoniales |
| Family: | Roccellaceae |
| Genus: | Diromma Ertz & Tehler (2014) |
| Species: | D. dirinellum |
| Binomial name | |
| Diromma dirinellum (Nyl.) Ertz & Tehler (2014) | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
| |
Taxonomy
This species was first described in 1882 by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander as Platygrapha dirinella, from specimens collected in Sardinia, Italy.[4] It was transferred to Schismatomma in 1923 by Alexander Zahlbruckner,[5] and considered a member of that genus for nearly a century. The genus Diromma was circumscribed in 2014 by Anders Tehler and Damien Ernst, following molecular phylogenetic analysis and revision of the Roccellaceae. This analysis showed that the species was a quite distinct lineage in the Roccellaceae. The genus name alludes to both its phylogenetic closeness to Dirina, and its morphological similarity with Schismatomma.[2]
Description
Diromma dirinellum has a crustose thallus with a cortex. Its ascomata, which are immersed (or partly so) in the thallus, measure 0.2–0.6 mm in diameter, and have a more or less circular to irregular outline. Ascospores are hyaline with 3 septa, and measure 20–30.5 by 4.5–5.5 μm; they are not enclosed in a gelatinous sheath. The photobiont partner is trentepholioid – green algae from genus Trentepohlia. The lichen contains roccellic acid, but does not react with any of the standard chemical spot tests (K−, C−, P−).[2]