| Mycocaliciaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Phaeocalicium polyporaeum , member of the family Mycocaliciaceae | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Eurotiomycetes |
| Order: | Mycocaliciales |
| Family: | Mycocaliciaceae A.F.W.Schmidt (1970) |
| Type genus | |
| Mycocalicium Vain. (1890) | |
| Genera | |
Brunneocarpos Contents | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
The Mycocaliciaceae are a family of seven genera and about 90 species of fungi in the order Mycocaliciales.
Calicioid fungi are a heterogeneous assemblage of fungi sharing the presence of a mazaedium , a structure in which loose masses of ascospores accumulate and which then are passively disseminated. Before 1970, the presence of a mazaedium was considered to be the defining trait of the order Caliciales, historically considered to be a monophyletic group. [2] Mycocaliciaceae was circumscribed in 1970 by the lichenologist Alexander Schmidt. He showed that some of the genera that had been traditionally classified in the Caliciales had active spore dispersal rather than a mazaedium. He resurrected Chaenothecopsis, Mycocalicium and Strongyleuma, accepted Stenocybe and described the new genus Phaeocalicium. [3] The Mycocaliciaceae and the Sphinctrinaceae are the families in the order Mycocaliciales, which was created in 2000 by Leif Tibell and Mats Weden. [4] Mycocaliciaceae was shown in several studies to belong to the class Eurotiomycetes. [5] [6] [7]
In 2005, molecular phylogenetic analysis of internal transcribed spacer DNA sequences suggested that the Sphinctrinaceae nested in the Mycocaliciaceae, and further, that some of the morphological features traditionally used to classify Mycocaliciales genera were found to be homoplasious. [8] The 2022 "Outline of Fungi", a multi-authored compilation of fungal classification, places the Sphinctrinaceae in synonymy with the Mycocaliciaceae. [1]
The thallus of Mycocaliciaceae species are immersed in the substrate, and often absent. Ascomata are stalked, brown or black, and topped by a head that is disc-like to somewhat spherical. Interascal tissue is absent in the hymenium. The asci are small, cylindrical, thick-walled at least in the apex, and not evanescent at an early stage. Ascospores are ellipsoidal to cylindrical in shape, pale to mid brown in colour, with walls that are smooth and thin. The ascospores are not released in a mazaedial mass. [9]
The list of the genera in the Mycocaliciaceae includes taxa formerly classified in the Sphinctrinaceae. Following the genus name is the taxonomic authority, year of publication, and the number of species: [1]
The first fossil record of a member of the Mycocaliciaceae was reported in 2000. The species, Chaenothecopsis bitterfeldensis , was described and illustrated from Bitterfeld amber dating back to at least 20 million years ago. The similarity in morphology to some extant East Asian species suggests that the genus had an ancient Laurasian distribution. [16] Since then, several new calicioid fossil specimens have been discovered from Baltic amber (50–35 million years ago). [17] [18] For example, in 2020, nine new fossils were reported. Of all reported calicioid fossils, six are assigned to Chaenothecopsis and one to Phaeocalicium . [19]
Chaenotheca is a genus of lichenized fungi within the family Coniocybaceae. The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance of a dressmaker's pin, hence the common name pin lichen. Genus members are also commonly called needle lichens. Photobiont partners for Chaenotheca include members of the algae genera Symbiochloris, Trebouxia, Trentepohlia, and Tritostichococcus.
Calicium is a genus of leprose lichens. It is in the family Caliciaceae, and has 40 species.
The Coniocybaceae are the sole family of lichen-forming fungi in the Coniocybales, which itself is the only order in the class Coniocybomycetes. The family was circumscribed by Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach in 1837. Both the order and the class were proposed by Maria Prieto and Mats Wedin in 2013 after molecular phylogenetics analysis of various calicioid lichens showed that the Coniocybaceae represented an early diverging lineage in the inoperculate ascomycetes.
Bruceomyces is a fungal genus in the family Bruceomycetaceae, containing the single species Bruceomyces castoris.
Chaenothecopsis is a genus of about 40 species of pin lichens in the family Mycocaliciaceae.
Mycocalicium is a genus of fungi in the family Mycocaliciaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist Edvard August Vainio in 1890.
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.
Stenocybe is a genus of fungi in the family Mycocaliciaceae. It has 14 species.
The Caliciaceae are a family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. Although the family has had its classification changed several times throughout its taxonomic history, the use of modern molecular phylogenetic methods have helped to establish its current placement in the order Caliciales. Caliciaceae contains 39 genera and about 670 species. The largest genus is Buellia, with around 300 species; there are more than a dozen genera that contain only a single species.
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.
Leif Tibell is a Swedish lichenologist and Emeritus Professor at the University of Uppsala. He is known for his expertise on calicioid lichens. He was awarded the Acharius Medal in 2012 for lifetime achievements in lichenology.
Allocalicium is a lichen genus in the family Caliciaceae. It is monotypic, containing the single pin lichen species Allocalicium adaequatum.
Calicium trabinellum, commonly known as the yellow-collar stubble lichen, is a widespread species of pin lichen in the family Caliciaceae. It was first described by Swedish lichenologist Erik Acharius in 1803 as Calicium xylonellum ß trabinellum. He made the new combination Calicium trabinellum in a later chapter of the same publication.
Calicium carolinianum is a species of lichen in the family Caliciaceae. It is endemic to the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the United States. The lichen contains norstictic acid, and has ascospores that measure 13–17 by 8–9 μm.
Bruceomycetaceae is a small family of fungi in the order Lecanorales. It contains two genera, each of which contains a single species.
Parmelia isidiiveteris is a fossilised species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It was found in Dominican amber and described as a new species in 2000. It was tentatively placed in the genus Parmelia although its true generic placement is difficult to determine with only a single specimen available for analysis.
Calicium pinicola is a species of lignicolous (wood-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. It is widely distributed in Europe, and also occurs in the United States.
Cryptocalicium is a single-species fungal genus of the order Eurotiomycetes that was circumscribed in 2021. It contains the species Cryptocalicium blascoi. Cryptocalicium is the only genus in the monotypic family Cryptocaliciaceae, the order Cryptocaliciales and the subclass Cryptocaliciomycetidae.
Calicium corynellum is a species of pin lichen in the family Caliciaceae. It is found scattered across parts of Europe, North America, and Asia, where it grows on rock surfaces in shaded and humid locations.
Chaenothecopsis kilimanjaroensis is a species of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) pin lichen in the family Mycocaliciaceae. Found in the cloud forests of Tanzania, it was described as a new species in 2019. These tiny lichens have a short stalk, which can be either single or formed in aggregates on the same thallus. The stalks are medium brown at the base and become translucent in water. This species has unique spores, which contain a single septum, are arranged in a single row in the ascus, and have a surface ornamented with elongated, blister-like structures.