Buelliella

Taxonomy

The genus was originally circumscribed by the American lichenologist Bruce Fink in 1935. He included seven species in his original concept of the genus. Fink did not specify a type species for the genus; Josef Hafellner assigned B. minimula as the type in 1979.

Description

Buelliella is a lichen-inhabiting (lichenicolous) genus that produces no independent thallus of its own. Its fruiting bodies (ascomata) begin as more-or-less spherical, closed structures embedded in the host; as they mature, the upper wall splits irregularly and flakes away, eventually leaving a shallow, disc-like apothecium that sits on the surface. The surrounding rim () is medium to dark brown and usually shows no reaction to the potassium hydroxide spot test (K–). The spore-bearing layer (hymenium) is either unreactive in iodine (K/I–) or stains a faint pale blue.

Within each ascoma the tissue between the asci () consists of that may branch or fuse together; their tips are slightly swollen and often tinged brown. Short, few-celled arise from the inner exciple. The asci are —double-walled structures that broaden like a club to a short cylinder—and have a thickened apex with a distinct ; they do not stain in iodine and usually contain eight spores. The resulting ascospores are smooth, ellipsoidal, single-septate, pale to medium brown, and slightly constricted at the septum. No asexual stage (anamorph) has been observed for the genus.

Species

, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts 13 species of Buelliella:

• Buelliella colombiana
• Buelliella dirinariae
• Buelliella eximia
• Buelliella heppiae
• Buelliella indica – India
• Buelliella inops
• Buelliella lecanorae
• Buelliella minimula
• Buelliella ohmurae – host: Icmadophila
• Buelliella physciicola
• Buelliella protoparmeliopsis – South America
• Buelliella pusilla
• Buelliella trypethelii

References

References

1. (2024). "The 2024 Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa". Mycosphere.
2. (1997). "Lichens and lichenicolous fungi from New Guinea". J. Cramer.
3. (2025). "Miscellaneous lichens and lichenicolous fungi, including ''Aphanopsis'' and ''Steinia'' (Aphanopsidaceae), ''Arthrorhaphis'' (Arthrorhaphidaceae), ''Buelliella'', ''Hemigrapha'', ''Melaspileella'', ''Stictographa'' and ''Taeniolella'' (Asterinales, family unassigned), ''Phylloblastia'' (Chaetothyriales, family unassigned) ''Cystocoleus'' (Cystocoleaceae), ''Sclerococcum'' (Dactylosporaceae), ''Eiglera'' (Eigleraceae), ''Epigloea'' (Epigloeaceae), ''Euopsis'' (Harpidiaceae), ''Lichenothelia'' (Lichenotheliaceae), ''Lichinodium'' (Lichinodiaceae), ''Melaspilea'' (Melaspileaceae), ''Epithamnolia'' and ''Mniaecia'' (Mniaeciaceae), ''Lichenostigma'' (Phaeococcomycetaceae), ''Pycnora'' (Pycnoraceae), ''Racodium'' (Racodiaceae), ''Chicitaea'' and ''Loxospora'' (Sarrameanaceae), ''Schaereria'' (Schaereriaceae), ''Strangospora'' (Strangosporaceae), ''Botryolepraria'' and ''Stigmidium'' (Verrucariales, family unassigned), and ''Biatoridium'', ''Mycoglaena'', ''Orphniospora'', ''Piccolia'', ''Psammina'' and ''Wadeana'' (order and family unassigned)".
4. "''Buelliella''".
5. Etayo, Javier. (2002). "Aportación al conocimiento de los hongos liquenícolas de Colombia". J. Cramer.
6. Fink, Bruce. (1935). "The Lichen Flora of the United States". University of Michigan Press.
7. Hafellner, J.. (1979). "''Karschia''. Revision einer Sammelgattung an der Grenze von lichenisierten und nichtlichenisierten Ascomyceten". Beihefte zur Nova Hedwigia.
8. Hafellner, J.. (1985). "Studen über lichenicole Pilze und Flechten IV. Die auf ''Brigantiaea''-Arten beobachteten Ascomyceten". Herzogia.
9. (2010). "''Labrocarpon'' gen. nov. for ''Melaspilea canariensis'', with the description of ''Buelliella protoparmeliopsis'' sp. nov. from South America". The Lichenologist.
10. (2019). "''Buelliella indica'' (Dothideomycetes), a new lichenicolous species from India". Acta Botanica Hungarica.
11. (2004). "''Buelliella lecanorae'', a new lichenicolous fungus". The Lichenologist.
12. (2020). "Contributions to the knowledge of lichenicolous fungi growing on baeomycetoid lichens and ''Icmadophila'', with a key to the species". The Lichenologist.