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Parmelia (lichen)
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the genus of lichen Parmelia, for other uses see Parmelia (disambiguation).
Parmelia is a large genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
ized fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
with a global distribution, extending from the Arctic to the Antarctic continent but concentrated in temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
regions. 125 species have been recorded on the Indian sub-continent. Depending on whether the circumscription
Circumscription (taxonomy)
In taxonomy, circumscription is the definition of the limits of a taxonomic group of organisms. One goal of taxonomy is to achieve a stable circumscription for every taxonomic group. Achieving stability can be simple or difficult....
of the genus is considered in the narrow sense (sensu strico) or the broad sense (sensu lato), there are between 50 to 1322 species world wide. It is a foliaceous lichen, resembling a leaf in shape. In recent years, the genus Parmelia has been divided into a number of smaller genera according to thallus
Thallus (tissue)
Thallus, from Latinized Greek θαλλός , meaning a green shoot or twig, is the undifferentiated vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungus, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms were previously known as the thallophytes, a polyphyletic...
morphology.
Description and ecology
In general, Parmelia have a dark lower side with rhizines ('rootlets') which attach the lichen to its substrate. The upper side may be several colours - grey, yellow, brown - and may have reproductive organs on it. These may be apothecia (spore producing bodies), isidia or soralia (both vegetative structures). In between these two layers is the medulla which contains the algalAlgae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
component of the lichen.
Parmelia lichens are food for the caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s of certain Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
, such as the bagworm moth
Bagworm moth
| name = Bagworm moths| image = Iphierga.jpg| image_caption = Adult of an undescribed Iphierga speciesfrom Aranda | image2 = Case moth02.jpg| image2_caption = "Bag" of unidentified species| regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda| classis = Insecta...
Taleporia tubulosa
Taleporia tubulosa
Large Birch Bright is a small nocturnal moth from the bagworm moth family . It is found locally in Europe, from southern Scotland, through west and central Europe, east up to Russia and the Balkan. In the north it is found in Fennoscandia...
.
Selected species
- Parmelia sulcataParmelia sulcataNet-marked parmelia , or Shield lichen, is a lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is very tolerant of pollution and is widespread making it one of the more common lichens....
- Parmelia acetabulum
- Parmelia caperata
- Parmelia taractica
- Parmelia tiliacea