Blidingia Kylin.

Veselá, Veronika, Malavasi, Veronica & Škaloud, Pavel, 2024, A synopsis of green-algal lichen symbionts with an emphasis on their free-living lifestyle, Phycologia 63 (3), pp. 317-338 : 328

Blidingia Kylin.

The macroscopic genus Blidingia forms cylindrical or compressed, sometimes branched, hollow tubular thalli composed of generally very small cells with lobed chloroplasts ( Fig. 22 ). These tubular structures are attached to the surface by discoidal cushion, which represents the first developmental stage in the asexual cycle and develops after zoospore germination. Sexual reproduction occurs by isogametes. The genus is predominantly marine with two species able to penetrate into freshwater habitats ( Škaloud et al. 2018) and currently includes seven species ( Guiry & Guiry 2022). One of these species ( B. minima ) is involved in an unusual ‘borderline’ type of association, in which most of the lichen-like organism is formed by the algal partner and the fungus being Turgidosculum ulvae . Thalli of B. minima , if inhabited by T. ulvae , appears bigger and much darker. Thus, free-living individuals can be easily recognized ( Pérez-Ortega et al. 2018).

Figures

Figs 19–30. Lichen photobiont genera (including nonlichenized species) belonging to classes Ulvophyceae and Klebsormidiophyceae. Fig. 19. Cephaleuros virescens (Darienko 2017). Fig. 20. Phycopeltis arundinacea. Fig. 21. Trentepohlia sp. Fig. 22. Blidingia marginata. Fig. 23. Halofilum ramosum (Darienko 2008). Fig. 24. Lithotrichon pulchrum (Darienko 2016b). Fig. 25. Paulbroadya prostrata (Darienko 2016a). Fig. 26. Pseudendoclonium sp. Fig. 27. Rindifilum verrucariae. Fig. 28. Undulifilum symbioticum. Fig. 29. Urospora penicilliformis. Fig. 30. Interfilum terricola. Scale bars: 10 μm (Figs 19, 21-30), 50 μm (Fig. 20).