Verrucariales is an order of ascomycetous fungi within the subclass Chaetothyriomycetidae of the class Eurotiomycetes. Although most of the Verrucariales are lichenised, the family Sarcopyreniaceae consists of 11 species of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi.
Endococcus is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) in the family Lichenotheliaceae. It has 44 species. The genus was circumscribed by the Finnish botanist William Nylander in 1855. Although at least one source places the genus in the Verrucariaceae, a 2016 study of the type species, Endococcus rugulosus, determined that it should instead be placed in the family Lichenotheliaceae of the order Dothideales; this classification echoes a placement proposed in 1979 by David Hawksworth.
Abrothallus is a genus of lichenicolous fungi. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Abrothallaceae, which itself is the sole taxon in the order Abrothallales.
Skyttea is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi in the family Cordieritidaceae. The genus was circumscribed in 1981 by lichenologists Martha Allen Sherwood, David L. Hawksworth, and Brian J. Coppins, with Skyttea nitschkei assigned as the type species.
Zahlbrucknerella is a genus of filamentous, rock-dwelling lichens in the family Lichinaceae.
Phacopsis is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi. They are parasites of members of the large lichen family Parmeliaceae, of which they are also a member. Originally proposed by Edmond Tulasne in 1852 to contain 3 species, Phacopsis now contains 10 species, although historically, 33 taxa have been described in the genus. Many of the species are poorly known, some of them having been documented only from the type specimen.
A lichenicolous fungus' (from Latin -cola 'inhabitant'; akin to Latin colere 'to inhabit') is a parasitic fungus that only lives on lichen as the host. A lichenicolous fungus is not the same as the fungus that is the component of the lichen, which is known as a lichenized fungus. They are most commonly specific to a given fungus as the host, but they also include a wide range of pathogens, saprotrophs, and commensals. It is estimated there are 3000 species of lichenicolous fungi. More than 1800 species are already described among the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. More than 95% of lichenicolous fungi described as of 2003 are ascomycetes, in 7 classes and 19 orders. Although basidiomycetes have less than 5% of lichenicolous lichen species, they represent 4 classes and 8 orders. Many lichenicolous species have yet to be assigned a phylogenetic position as of 2003.
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".
Thomas Hawkes Nash III is an American lichenologist. His research is about the biology and ecology of lichens, and the effects of air pollution on plants and lichens. He is known as an authority on the family Parmeliaceae. During his long career at the Arizona State University, he helped develop the lichen herbarium into a world-class collection with over 100,000 specimens representing more than 5000 species. In 2010, the year of his retirement, he was awarded the Acharius Medal for lifetime achievements in lichenology, and the following year had a Festschrift published in his honor.
Briancoppinsia is a fungal genus in the family Arthoniaceae. It is monotypic, containing the single species Briancoppinsia cytospora, a lichenicolous fungus that parasitises parmelioid lichens, as well as Cladonia, Lepra, and Lecanora conizaeoides, among others. The species was first described scientifically by Léon Vouaux in 1914 as Phyllosticta cytospora. The genus was circumscribed in 2012 by Paul Diederich, Damien Ertz, James Lawrey, and Pieter van den Boom. The genus was named for Brian John Coppins, who is, according to the authors, an "eminent British lichenologist and expert of lichenicolous fungi".
Emmanuël Sérusiaux is a Belgian lichenologist. His career, spanning more than four decades, has combined both lichenology research and political aspects of nature conservation. He spent several periods working as a researcher at the National Fund for Scientific Research and the University of Liège, the latter in which he accepted a faculty position as professor and head of the Plant Taxonomy and Conservation Biology unit. Sérusiaux also served for three non-consecutive appointments as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Government of Wallonia. He retired from both his academic and political positions in 2019.
Sclerococcum serusiauxii is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Dactylosporaceae. It was described as a new species in 1993 by Montserrat Boqueras and Paul Diederich. The type was collected in Col de la Pierre St Martin, at an altitude of 1,550 m (5,090 ft). Here, the fungus was growing on the lichen Parmelina pastillifera, which itself was growing on Pinus uncinata. The specific epithet honours Belgian lichenologist Emmanuël Sérusiaux, who collected the type specimen in 1989. S. serusiauxii has also been recorded from Montenegro.
Leprocaulaceae is a family of mostly lichen-forming fungi. It is the single family in the monotypic order Leprocaulales. Leprocaulaceae contains three genera and about 33 species.
Xenonectriella subimperspicua is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Nectriaceae. It has been recorded from South America, Europe, and New Zealand.
Sclerococcum sipmanii is a rare species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Dactylosporaceae. Found in Malaysia, it was formally described as a new species in 2015 by Belgian mycologist Paul Diederich. The type specimen was found on the southern slope of Mount Kinabalu at an altitude of 2,800 m (9,200 ft); here, in a mossy forest on a mountain ridge, it was found growing on the lichen Anomomorpha cf. roseola. The fungus forms black, convex, rounded sporodochia typically measuring 100–200 μm in diameter; the fungus does not otherwise cause visible damage to the host lichen. Sclerococcum sipmanii is only known to occur at the type locality. The species epithet honours Dutch lichenologist Harrie Sipman, one of the collectors of the type.
Sclerococcum aptrootii is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Dactylosporaceae. Found in Puerto Rico, it was formally described as a new species in 2015 by Belgian mycologist Paul Diederich. The type specimen was collected in Maricao State Forest north of Sabana Grande (Mayagüez), at an altitude of 800 m (2,600 ft); here, in a low mountain forest, it was found growing on the lichen Fissurina dumastii. It is only known to occur at the type locality. The fungus forms black, rounded sporodochia that measure 50–100 μm in diameter; it does not otherwise damage the host. The species epithet honours Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot, who collected the type in 1989.
Trimmatothele is a genus of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens in the family Verrucariaceae. It has five species. The genus was formally published by lichenologist Alexander Zahlbruckner in 1903. The type species, Trimmatothele perquisita, was originally collected from Norway by Johannes M. Norman, who placed it in the genus Coniothele in 1868. Diagnostic characteristics of Trimmatothele include a thin thallus with a smooth surface; small perithecia that are partially immersed in the substrata and have an involucrellum; asci that contain multiple ascospores; and small, simple ascospores. Trimmatothele has been described as one of the most poorly known genera of lichens due to the rarity of its species, the few available herbarium specimens, and some missing type specimens.
Carbonea aggregantula is a species of lichen belonging to the family Lecanoraceae.
Atla wheldonii is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Verrucariaceae. Found in Europe, it was formally described as a new species in 1947 by William Gladstone Travis from specimens collected from sand dunes in Lancashire, England, in 1924. Sanja Savić and Leif Tibell transferred the taxon to genus Atla in 2008 following molecular phylogenetic analysis that showed that it, along with three other Northern European species, comprised a distinct clade in the Verrucariacae.
Endococcus thelommatis is a species of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungus in the family Lichenotheliaceae. It was formally described as a new species in 2011 by lichenologists Jana Kocourková and Kerry Knudsen. The fungus grows on the lichen Thelomma santessonii, a common saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen that is endemic to the coast and islands of Southern California and Mexico's Baja California. Endococcus thelommatis is the first lichenicolous fungus to have been reported from this lichen.
