The Hygrophoraceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. Originally conceived as containing white-spored, thick-gilled agarics, including Hygrophorus and Hygrocybe species, DNA evidence has extended the limits of the family, so it now contains not only agarics, but also basidiolichens and corticioid fungi. Species are thus diverse and are variously ectomycorrhizal, lichenized, associated with mosses, or saprotrophic. The family contains 25 genera and over 600 species. None is of any great economic importance, though fruit bodies of some Hygrocybe and Hygrophorus species are considered edible and may be collected for sale in local markets.
Cantharellopsis is a tan- to whitish-colored bryophilous monotypic genus in the Hymenochaetales. The fruit bodies of the single species Cantharellopsis prescotii has a form intermediate between an Omphalina and a chanterelle (Cantharellus) because of its forked, fold-like gills. It inhabits moss on calcareous soils in temperate regions of Europe. Phylogenetically related agarics are in the genera Contumyces, Gyroflexus, Loreleia, Rickenella and Blasiphalia, as well as the stipitate-stereoid genera Muscinupta and Cotylidia and the clavarioid genus, Alloclavaria.
Cyphellostereum is a genus of basidiolichens. Species produce white, somewhat cup-shaped fruit bodies on a thin film of green on soil which is the thallus. All Cyphellostereum species have nonamyloid spores and tissues, lack clamp connections, and also lack hymenial cystidia.
Acantholichen is a fungal genus in the family Hygrophoraceae. The genus was circumscribed by Norwegian lichenologist Per Magnus Jørgensen to contain the type, and at that time, only species, the basidiolichen Acantholichen pannarioides, discovered originally in Costa Rica in 1998. This species has a bluish, gelatinous thallus, and a fine, white powdery bloom covering the hairy upper surface; this surface is said to resemble "an unshaven chin". Five additional species, all basidiolichens, were added to the genus in 2016 following an in-depth analysis of specimens collected from the Galápagos, Costa Rica, Brazil and Colombia.
Dictyonema is a genus of mainly tropical basidiolichens in the family Hygrophoraceae.
Lepidostromatales is an order of fungi in the class Agaricomycetes. It is the only known order of basidiomycete fungi composed entirely of lichenized members. Morphologically, the fruiting bodies of all species are clavarioid. Six species are known, five of which were described within the span of 2007–2013. Due to its morphological similarity to the genus Multiclavula, its isolated phylogenetic position was not understood until quite recently. The photobionts that have been found in association with members of this group are not known to associate with any other types of lichenized fungi.
Eonema is a fungal genus in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is monotypic, consisting of the single corticioid species Eonema pyriforme. This fungus was previously classified in the genus Athelia until molecular analysis demonstrated that it was unrelated to the Atheliales and instead nested within the Hygrophoraceae.
Cora is a large genus of basidiolichens in the family Hygrophoraceae. Modern molecular phylogenetics research has revealed a rich biodiversity in this largely tropical genus.
Cora imi is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Costa Rica, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking, José Luis Chaves, and James D. Lawrey. The specific epithet imi is an acronym for the International Mycological Institute. The lichen is known only from the type collection, which was found at an altitude of about 3,400 m (11,200 ft) in the Los Santos Forest Reserve in Cerro de la Muerte. Here it was growing on the ground in páramo among bryophytes.
Cora santacruzensis is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in the Galapagos, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Manuela Dal Forno, Frank Bungartz, and Alba Yánez-Ayabaca. The specific epithet santacruzensis refers to Santa Cruz Island, the type locality where the lichen was first documented scientifically. Here it was found at an abandoned farm behind El Puntudo, where it was growing on a shaded branch of an avocado tree. A paratype specimen was collected from a Cinchona tree. The lichen is one of two presumably endemic Cora species found on the Galapagos; the other is Cora glabrata.
Cora lawreyana is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Mexico, it was formally described as a new species in 2019 by Bibiana Moncada, Rosa Emilia Pérez-Pérez, and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected in the La Cortadura Ecological Reserve in a cloud forest at an altitude of 2,088 m (6,850 ft). It is only known to occur at the type locality, where it grows as an epiphyte on the trunks of trees, usually on or around mosses and liverworts, such as from the genera Frullania, Metzgeria, and Plagiochila. The specific epithet honours lichenologist James D. Lawrey, who, according to the authors, "has made numerous contributions to lichenology in such diverse fields as ecology, lichenicolous fungi, and the evolution of basidiolichens and their photobionts".
Cora galapagoensis is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is Endemic to the Galápagos Islands, where it grows as an epiphyte on branches and trunks, usually in close association with other lichens and bryophytes. It was formally described as a new species in 2017 by Manuela Dal-Forno, Frank Bungartz, and Robert Lücking. It is a fairly common species in its range, and has been recorded from Isabela, Santa Cruz and Santiago islands. Preferred habitats include Miconia shrublands, secondary forests of Cinchona pubescens and Psidium guajava, and forests of Persea americana (avocado) and Scalesia pedunculata. The lichen can form colonies over 1 m (3.3 ft) broad with closely adjoining (imbricate) lobes
Acantholichen variabilis is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in Colombia, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Manuela Dal-Forno, Luis Fernando Coca, and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected in Cerro San Antonio at an elevation of 1,946 m (6,385 ft). Here, on the edge of a montane wet forest, the lichen was found growing on moss in an area with high light intensity. The specific epithet refers to the variable size of the acanthohyphidia in the lichen. The species is only known from the type locality. Acantholichen albomarginatus is also found at this location.
Acantholichen pannarioides is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae, and the type species of genus Acantholichen. The lichen has a bluish-tinged, gelatinous thallus with a surface texture that has a powdery to hairy texture. It is found in montane regions of Central America and northern South America, where it grows on forest litter, bark, on bryophytes, and on other lichens.
Lichenomphalia chromacea is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is found in southern Australia. The yellow-orange fruiting bodies of the species are mushroom-like, with a cap width of typically less than 4 cm. The thallus of the lichen is a greenish, granular layer of fungal hyphae and algae on the soil around the base of the stipe.
Dictyonema barbatum is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, where it grows as an epiphyte on the bark of branches and trunks, often on introduced plants such as avocado and guava trees. It was formally described as a new species in 2017 by Manuela Dal-Forno, Frank Bungartz, and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected near the southern crater rim of the Sierra Negra, at an altitude of 1,055 m (3,461 ft). Its preferred habitat is open areas with lots of rainfall and light exposure. The lichen forms shelf-like, filamentous brackets comprising individual semicircular lobes up to 8 cm (3 in) wide. The specific epithet barbatum refers to the "beard-like" white hairs on the shelf margins, a characteristic feature of this species. These "hairs" are sheaths of fungal hyphae that lack photobiont filaments.
Dictyonema darwinianum is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, where it grows as an epiphyte on the bark of branches and trunks, often closely associated with or overgrowing bryophytes and interspersed detritus. It was formally described as a new species in 2017 by Manuela Dal-Forno, Frank Bungartz, and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected along the trail from Bellavista to El Puntudo on Santa Cruz Island at an altitude of 502 m (1,647 ft). The lichen is common and widespread on the Galápagos Islands, where it forms dark bluish-green filamentous and crust-like mats on Frullania liverworts and associated forest detritus. The specific epithet darwinianum honours Charles Darwin and the Charles Darwin Foundation.
Dictyonema lawreyi is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. Found in the United States, it was formally described as a new species in 2019 by Manuela Dal Forno, Laurel Kaminsky, and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected in Ocala National Forest, where it was growing as an epiphyte on a trunk of Magnolia. It is only known to occur here and in two other locations in Florida, all in hardwood forests. The lichen has a crustose and filamentous growth form on a white hypothallus, and thallus surface made of a mat of turquoise, loosely interwoven fibrils forming more or less continuous patches up to 5 cm (2 in) long. The type was collected by lichenologist James D. Lawrey, for whom the species is named, and whose work, according to the authors, "helped to redefine the circumscription of the genus Dictyonema s.str."
Dictyonema subobscuratum is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, where it mostly grows as an epiphyte over bryophytes on branches and trunks in humid zones. It was formally described as a new species in 2017 by Manuela Dal-Forno, Frank Bungartz, and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected on Floreana Island along the rim trail to Cerro Pajas at an altitude of 442 m (1,450 ft); it has also been recorded from Santa Cruz Island. The lichen forms dark bluish-green filamentous, irregular mats that grow in patches up to 5 cm (2.0 in) across. The specific epithet subobscuratum refers to its similarity with Dictyonema obscuratum, found in Brazil.
James Donald Lawrey is a biologist, specialising in lichens. He is known for leading long-term monitoring projects, taxonomy and studies of the evolution of the fungi in lichens.
