Eremothecella helicella
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| Eremothecella helicella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Arthoniomycetes |
| Order: | Arthoniales |
| Family: | Arthoniaceae |
| Genus: | Eremothecella |
| Species: | E. helicella |
| Binomial name | |
| Eremothecella helicella Aptroot & M.Cáceres (2014) | |
Eremothecella helicella is a species of lichen in the family Arthoniaceae.[1] Found in Brazil, it was described as a new species in 2014. It is the first bark-dwelling member of its genus, as all other known species of Eremothecella grow exclusively on leaves. The lichen forms a glossy green crust on tree bark and is distinguished by its unusual corkscrew-shaped asexual spores, a feature rarely seen among lichen-forming fungi. Known only from primary rainforest sites around Porto Velho in Rondônia state, this species has been found growing on smooth-barked trees at low elevations.
Eremothecella helicella was described as new in 2014 from Rondônia, Brazil, by André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type was collected on smooth tree bark in primary rainforest in the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho at about 100 m (330 ft) elevation. The authors noted that all previously known Eremothecella species were strictly leaf-dwelling (foliicolous); E. helicella is the first corticolous (bark-dwelling) member of the genus. It is presently known only from the asexual (pycnidial) state and is distinguished within Eremothecella by its strongly coiled (helicoid) thread-like conidia, a feature not reported in other species of the genus and otherwise unusual among lichenised ascomycetes (the only other similar example is Micarea subnigrata).[2]