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Straminella
Straminella is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecanoraceae.[1] It comprises seven species.[2] TaxonomyStraminella was originally proposed by the French lichenologist Maurice Choisy in 1929 as a new genus with Lecanora varia as its type species, which he distinguished by its yellow thallus.[3] This colour is imparted by the presence of the lichen product usnic acid. It was resurrected through modern molecular phylogenetics studies, which confirmed it as a distinct monophyletic group within the Rhizoplaca–Protoparmeliopsis sensu lato clade of the family Lecanoraceae.[4] Within the evolutionary family tree of these lichens, Straminella occupies an intermediate position between two other groups – the Rhizoplaca–Lecanora polytropa complex and the Protoparmeliopsis group. This placement is supported by both individual gene analyses (ITS, mtSSU) and combined multi-locus studies using nuclear ribosomal ITS, mitochondrial SSU rDNA, and protein-coding genes RPB1 and RPB2.[4] Initially, many Straminella species were placed within the broader genus Lecanora. In a 1969 study of Lecanora, Gerhard Eigler accepted Straminella, and included several other usnic acid-producing Lecanora species in it, including L. conizaeoides, L. expallens, L. polytropa, L. saligna, L. subintricata, and L. symmicta.[5] The resurrection of Straminella as a separate genus was also supported by Josef Hafellner in 1984,[6] though it wasn't widely adopted until molecular evidence confirmed its distinctness.[4] While some species' placements within the genus are confirmed through molecular data, others still require genetic analysis to verify their taxonomic position. The type species, S. varia, serves as an anchor point for understanding the genus's morphological and genetic characteristics.[4] Species
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