Seirophora Poelt
Flora, 174, 5/6: 440, 1983.
Systematics:
Phylum: Ascomycota Caval.-Sm.
Subphylum: Pezizomycotina O.E.Erikss. & Winka
Class: Lecanoromycetes O.E.Erikss. & Winka
Subclass: Lecanoromycetidae P.M.Kirk, P.F.Cannon, J.C.David & Stalpers ex Miądl., Lutzoni & Lumbsch
Order: Teloschistales D.Hawksw. & O.E.Erikss.
Suborder: Teloschistineae Gaya & Lutzoni
Family: Teloschistaceae Zahlbr.
Brief description: Thallus subfruticose to fruticose, grey to brown, rarely orange, often with multiseriate hairs consisting of strongly conglutinated hyphae, erhizinate, usually attached by a basal holdfast. Cortex prosoplectenchymatous to intricately scleroplectenchymatous, of strongly conglutinated (after treatment with K), thick (3-7 µm) hyphae withc. 1-2 µm thick walls. Apothecia lecanorine to zeorine, with an orange disc and a most often persistent thalline margin. Epithecium orange-brown, K+ purple-red; hymenium and hypothecium colourless. Asci 8- spored, clavate, functionally unitunicate, apically thickened with a broad internal beak, the inner part of apex and external cap I+ blue, Teloschistes-type. Ascospores 2-celled, polarilocular, hyaline, narrowly ellipsoid to ellipsoid, the equatorial thickening (“septum”) short to medium (2-4 µm in water). Pycnidia slightly projecting, orange. Conidia simple, hyaline, bacilliform to narrowly ellipsoid. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Chemistry: apothecial disc, and sometimes also thallus, with parietin (major), fallacinal, teloschistin, and parietinic acid (all minor), and emodin (minor).
Note: This genus was created by Poelt (1983) as monotypic, for a species formerly called Physcia magara which, due to its peculiar strands of prosoplectenchymatous, chondroid tissue embedded in the medulla combined with typical apothecial characters of Teloschistaceae, was assigned to this family. The genus was emended by Frödén (in Frödén. & Lassen 2024) to include further 6 species, formerly mostly treated as members of Teloschistes, some of which, including S. contortuplicata, were segregated again into a new genus, Xanthaptychia by Kondratyuk & Ravera (in Kondratyuk & al. 2017). Seirophora differs from Teloschistes in a number of characters, such as the lack of cilia or rhizines, the presence of multiseriate, complex hairs consisting of strongly conglutinated hyphae, and spores with a shorter septum (see also Arup & al. 2013). Xanthaptychia is related with Seirophora, differing in the scleroplectenchymatous tissue of the thallus, and in the primary distribution in high-altitude mountain regions of northern Eurasia or North America. Following Roux & Coll. (2025) I prefer to maintain a broader concept of Seirophora, including Xanthaptychia. Most species occur in dry areas with frequent spells of high air humidity.
Type: Seirophora magara (Kremp.) Poelt
