Racoleus
Racoleus R. Sant. & D. Hawksw., in Hawksworth, Santesson & Tibell, IMA Fungus 2(1): 72 (2011).
Index Fungorum number: IF 561239; Facesoffungi number: FoF 11086, 1 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), No molecular data available.
Lichenized on bark. Sexual morph: Unknown. Asexual morph: Thallus superficial, fluffy, brown, filamentous. Photobiont Trentepohlia, single filaments of which are unsheathed by fungal hyphae. Filaments suberect to decumbent or spreading, sympodially branched, outer wall undulating and irregularly corrugated, with numerous lateral spines. Hyphae in a single layer surrounding the algal filament, orientated vertically along and always parallel to the axis of the filament, brown, septate, thick-walled, uneven and undulate to corrugated, not ornamented. Spines arising at broadly acute to almost right angles to the vertical axis, brown, stiff, thick-walled, smooth walled, not ornamented or corrugated. Conidiogenous cells and conidia not seen (adapted from Hawksworth et al. 2011).
Type species: Racoleus trichophorus R. Sant. & D. Hawksw.
Notes: Racoleus differs from Cystocoleus and Racodium in having lateral spines, as well as in its ecology and distribution. The hyphae which surround the algal filament are positioned parallel to the filament axis with intertwining corrugations, the surface of the hyphae is smooth in Racoleus while in Cystocoleus, similar corrugation takes place but is less noticeable and the hyphae are more unevenly arranged, have a tendency to wrap around the algal filament instead of being firmly orientated along its axis, giving it a more knobbly appearance and the surface of the hyphae is ornamented. In Racodium, the hyphae are deprived of interlocking corrugations, are thicker-walled compared to other genera, and fused to form elongated rectangular cells positioned vertically along the axis of the algal filament which gives an overall smooth rather than a knobbly appearance and the hyphal walls are completely smooth. The taxonomic placement of Racoleus is still uncertain due to lack of sexual state and molecular data. It tentatively belongs to Capnodiales genera incertae sedis based on morphological similarities to Cystocoleus and Racodium.
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