The Mycocaliciaceae are a family of fungi in the order Mycocaliciales, comprising seven genera and approximately 90 species. Originally proposed in 1970 by Alexander Schmidt, the family is characterised by immersed thalli, stalked brown or black ascomata, and small cylindrical asci that release ascospores without forming a mazaedium. Molecular phylogenetic studies have placed Mycocaliciaceae within the class Eurotiomycetes and led to the inclusion of taxa formerly classified in the Sphinctrinaceae. The family has a fossil record dating back at least 50 million years, with several specimens discovered in Baltic and Bitterfeld amber. Mycocaliciaceae genera include Chaenothecopsis, Mycocalicium, and Phaeocalicium, which exhibit a range of ecological roles from saprobic to parasitic relationships with their substrates.
Calicium is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae, and has 40 species.
The Acharius Medal is awarded by the International Association for Lichenology (IAL) for lifetime achievement in lichenology. The organization resolved at its 1990 meeting that it would simultaneously honor professional achievement and commemorate Erik Acharius by presenting a medal in his name.
Chaenothecopsis is a genus of about 40 species of pin lichens in the family Mycocaliciaceae.
Phaeocalicium is a genus of fungi in the family Mycocaliciaceae. The genus was circumscribed in 1970 by German lichenologist Alexander Schmidt, with Phaeocalicium praecedens assigned as the type species.
Aino Marjatta Henssen, was a German lichenologist and systematist. Her father, Gottfried Henssen, was a folklorist and her mother was Finnish.
Chaenothecopsis vainioana is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Caliciaceae that is found in Europe. It was first formally described by Czech lichenologist Josef Nádvorník in 1940 as a member of the genus Calicium. The specific epithet honours Finnish lichenologist Edvard August Vainio. Leif Tibell transferred it to genus Chaenothecopsis in 1979. Calicium vainioanum has been reported growing on Arthonia, Lecanactis abietina, and Calicium salicinum.
Josef Hafellner is an Austrian mycologist and lichenologist. He was awarded the Acharius Medal in 2016 for his lifetime contributions to lichenology. Before his retirement, he was a professor at the Karl-Franzens-Universität in Graz. Hafellner started developing an interest in lichens while he was a student at this institution, studying under Josef Poelt. He earned a master's degree in 1975 and a PhD in 1978, defending a doctoral thesis about the genus Karschia. In 2003, Hafellner received his habilitation. By this time, he had studied with French lichenologist André Bellemère (1927–2014) at Saint-Cloud, where he learned techniques of transmission electron microscopy and how their application in studying asci could be used in lichen systematics. His 1984 work Studien in Richtung einer natürlicheren Gliederung der Sammelfamilien Lecanoraceae und Lecideaceae has been described as "probably the single most influential publication in lichen systematics in the latter half of the 20th century".
Jan Eric Ingvar Kärnefelt is a Swedish lichenologist.
Rolf Santesson (1916–2013) was a Swedish lichenologist and university lecturer. He was awarded the Acharius Medal in 1992 for his lifetime contributions to lichenology.
John Alan (Jack) Elix emeritus professor in chemistry at the Australian National University, is an organic chemist who has contributed in many fields: lichenology, lichen chemotaxonomy, plant physiology and biodiversity and natural product chemistry. He has authored 2282 species names, and 67 genera in the field of mycology. Elix edited the exsiccata series Lichenes Australasici exsiccati.
Allocalicium is a single-species fungal genus in the family Caliciaceae. It is monotypic, containing the single pin lichen species Allocalicium adaequatum. This lichen occurs in North America, South America, Europe, and the Russian Far East, where it grows on branches and twigs of deciduous trees and shrubs, typically those of alder and poplar. The species was originally described in 1869 as a member of Calicium, but molecular phylogenetics analysis demonstrated it was not a member of that genus and so Allocalicium was created to contain it.
Gunnar Bror Fritiof Degelius was a Swedish lichenologist. Between the publications of his first and final scientific papers, Degelius had a 70-year-long research career. While he was best known for his expertise on the lichen genus Collema, he also wrote important papers on lichen biology and ecology, floristic studies of the Nordic countries and various other areas around the world, and lichen succession. Degelius described 124 new taxa, and published about 130 scientific papers. In 1992 he was one of the first to be awarded the Acharius Medal for his lifetime contributions to lichenology. Fifteen species and three genera have been named in honour of Degelius.
Chaenotheca brachypoda is a species of lichen in the family Coniocybaceae. It was first described in 1816 by Erik Acharius as Coniocybe brachypoda. Leif Tibell transferred it to the genus Chaenotheca in 1987.
Josef Nádvorník was a Czech lichenologist. He was an authority on lichens of the order Caliciales and, in particular, the genus Physcia.
Sten Gustaf Edvard Ahlner was a Swedish lichenologist.
Klaus Kalb is a German lichenologist and an authority on tropical lichens. Born in Nuremberg, he studied at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg before pursuing a career that significantly advanced the field of lichenology, particularly in Brazil. Kalb's work in São Paulo from 1978 to 1981 led to a collaboration with Brazilian lichenologist Marcelo Pinto Marcelli, which is considered a model for non-commercial benefit-sharing in taxonomic research. He later became an associate professor at the University of Regensburg and is known for editing the exsiccata series Lichenes Neotropici. Kalb's contributions to lichenology include over 120 scientific publications, the description of numerous new species, and the development of a substantial lichen collection. His work has been recognised through various honours, including four lichen genera and numerous species named after him, as well as a Festschrift published in 2007 to mark his retirement.
Hannes Hertel is a German lichenologist and taxonomist and was Director of the State Herbarium in Munich, Germany 1992–2004. His specialist areas are the fungi and lichens.
Caloplaca tibellii is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Australia, it was formally described as a new species in 2009 by lichenologists Sergey Kondratyuk and Ingvar Kärnefelt. The type specimen was collected from Porongurup National Park, where it was found growing on the decaying bark of Eucalyptus. The species epithet honours Swedish lichenologist Leif Tibell, who collected the type in 1983.
Ove Almborn was a Swedish lichenologist and educator. Born in Ronneby, Sweden, Almborn grew up in an environment that nurtured his early interest in botany and lichens. His early academic interests and discoveries in new lichens inspired his doctoral dissertation, which focused on the distribution and ecology of lichens in South Scandinavia. After graduating from Lund University, he was employed at its department of systematic botany, initially as a senior lecturer and later as the curator of the botanical collections at its botanical garden.
