The Cladoniaceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the order Lecanorales. It is one of the largest families of lichen-forming fungi, with about 560 species distributed amongst 17 genera. The reindeer moss and cup lichens (Cladonia) belong to this family. The latter genus, which comprises about 500 species, forms a major part of the diet of large mammals in taiga and tundra ecosystems. Many Cladoniaceae lichens grow on soil, but other can use decaying wood, tree trunks, and, in a few instances, rocks as their substrate. They grow in places with high humidity, and cannot tolerate aridity.
Cladonia mongkolsukii is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Described as new to science in 2011, it is found in lower-elevation montane scrub forests of northeast Thailand and in Sri Lanka. The specific epithet honors Pachara Mongolsuk, a Thai lichenologist.
Lichens are symbiotic organisms made up of multiple species: a fungus, one or more photobionts and sometimes a yeast. They are regularly grouped by their external appearance – a characteristic known as their growth form. This form, which is based on the appearance of vegetative part of the lichen, varies depending on the species and the environmental conditions it faces. Those who study lichens (lichenologists) have described a dozen of these forms: areolate, byssoid, calicioid, cladoniform, crustose, filamentous, foliose, fruticose, gelatinous, leprose, placoidioid and squamulose. Traditionally, crustose (flat), foliose (leafy) and fruticose (shrubby) are considered to be the three main forms. In addition to these more formalised, traditional growth types, there are a handful of informal types named for their resemblance to the lichens of specific genera. These include alectorioid, catapyrenioid, cetrarioid, hypogymnioid, parmelioid and usneoid.
Lichen morphology describes the external appearance and structures of a lichen. These can vary considerably from species to species. Lichen growth forms are used to group lichens by "vegetative" thallus types, and forms of "non-vegetative" reproductive parts. Some lichen thalli have the aspect of leaves ; others cover the substrate like a crust, others such as the genus Ramalina adopt shrubby forms, and there are gelatinous lichens such as the genus Collema.
Cladonia parasitica, commonly known as the fence-rail cladonia, fence-rail cup lichen or parasite club lichen, is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first described by Hoffmann in 1784 under the name Lichen parasiticus, until he reclassified it under the genus Cladonia in 1795.
Cladonia amaurocraea, commonly known as the quill lichen or the quill cup lichen, is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the Cladoniaceae family.
Cladonia wainioi or the Wainio's cup lichen is a species of cup lichen found in boreal and arctic regions of the Russian Far East and northern North America.
Cladonia sobolescens, commonly known as the peg lichen, is a species of fruticose lichen. It is found in temperate eastern North America and East Asia.
Cladonia subradiata is a widely distributed species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It is found in Asia, Africa, Melanesia, Australia, New Zealand, and South, Central, and North America.
Cladonia arbuscula, also referred to as shrubby cup lichen or green reindeer lichen, is a species of cup lichen in the Cladoniaceae family.
Cladonia digitata, commonly known as the finger cup lichen, is a cup lichen species in the family Cladoniaceae.
Cladonia coccifera or madame's cup lichen is a species of fruticose, cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It was first described by Swedish lichenologist Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum. German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow transferred it to the genus Cladonia in 1787. The lichen has apothecia and bright red pycnidia atop of yellowish to grey-green podetia that are 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) high. The base of the thallus comprises rounded squamules (scales) with a yellow to orange-brown undersurface. It typically occurs on acidic peaty and sandy soils.
Cladonia alpina is a species of fruticose lichen that is in the family Cladoniaceae. It has been found in Japan, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
Cladonia inflata is a rare species of terricolous (ground-dwelling) lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Found in Bahia, Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2018 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Eugenia da Silva Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors from Palmeiras, on the Mount of Pai Inácio, at an altitude between 1,050 and 1,140 m ; here the lichen was found growing on siliceous sandstone rock in a transitional forest. Cladonia inflata is only known to occur at the type locality, and is only known from the type specimen. At this location the lichen is conspicuous but not abundant, and forms extensive mats with many other Cladonia species, such as C. bahiana, C. clathrata, C. dissecta, C. divaricata, C. friabilis, C. furfuracea, C. metaminiata, C. miniata, C. obscurata, C. parvipes, C. pityrophylla, C. polyscypha, C. salmonea, C. secundana, and C. substellata. The lichen has a fruticose (bushy), mineral-grey thallus that consists of upright hollow podetia measuring about 4 to 7 cm high, atop a cushion up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. It contains the secondary compound fumarprotocetraric acid. The specific epithet inflata refers to the inflated thallus of the lichen.
Pulchrocladia retipora, most commonly known as the coral lichen, is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It occurs in Australasia and New Caledonia where it grows in coastal and alpine heathlands. The lichen features coral-like branches and subbranches with numerous netlike perforations. It is known by multiple names, with some sources referring to it by its synonym Cladia retipora, or the common name lace lichen.
Cladonia rei, commonly known as the wand lichen, is a species of ground-dwelling, fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It is a widely distributed species, having been reported from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North America. It is identified by its slightly dirty-colored, rough-surfaced, slender podetia that grow up to 9 cm (3.5 in) tall. Diagnostic characters of the lichen include the continuously sorediate, green-and-brown-mottled, podetia that taper upward to a point, while chemically, it contains homosekikaic and sekikaic acids. Its reduced capacity to bioaccumulate toxic heavy metals from its surroundings, as well as its ability to switch photobiont partners, allows the lichen to colonize and survive highly polluted habitats. There are several other Cladonia species that are somewhat similar in appearance, but can be distinguished either by subtle differences in morphology, or by the secondary chemicals they contain.
Cladonia trassii is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It has a circumpolar distribution and is found in arctic/alpine and subarctic habitats.
Cladonia longisquama is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It occurs in the Seychelles, where it grows on moss-covered rocks.
Cladonia lutescens is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It occurs in high-altitude conditions of the Himalayas.
