| Naetrocymbaceae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leptorhaphis epidermidis , the birchbark dot lichen | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Order: | Pleosporales |
| Family: | Naetrocymbaceae Höhnel ex R.C.Harris (1995) |
| Type genus | |
| Naetrocymbe Körb. ex. Körb. (1865) | |
| Genera | |
Bifrontia Contents | |
The Naetrocymbaceae are a family of fungi in the order Pleosporales. Some members of the type genus, Naetrocymbe , form lichens. [1] [2] [3]
Members of the Naetrocymbaceae typically form a thin, crust-like thallus that adheres directly to the substrate. Many species are purely saprotrophic, living on decaying plant material, but some form a loose partnership with filamentous green algae of the genus Trentepohlia . Because this photobiont is optional, the thallus is often poorly developed and may be entirely absent, leaving only the reproductive structures visible on wood, bark, or other organic debris. [4]
Sexual fruit bodies are perithecia—minute, flask-shaped chambers with a broad opening (ostioles) that may sit on top of the structure or off to one side. They occur singly, in small groups, or as multiple cavities ( locules ) embedded in a shared stromatic tissue. Individual perithecia are black, more or less spherical or sometimes flattened on one side, and have walls built from tightly packed, brick-like cells. An outer carbonised cap ( involucrellum ) is either missing or poorly developed. Inside, the cavity is threaded by numerous narrow pseudoparaphyses : short-celled, filamentous strands that branch and fuse to form a loose network. The spore sacs (asci) are club- to pear-shaped, split along their length when mature ( fissitunicate ), and lack the lens-like ocular chamber seen in many other flask fungi. Each ascus releases colourless to brown ascospores that are spindle- to needle-shaped, divided by several cross-walls (septa), and often bear a finely ornamented surface; these spores do not stain blue in iodine tests. [4]
Asexual reproduction proceeds in pycnidia—smaller flask structures that generate simple , rod-shaped conidia. No secondary metabolites (lichen products) have been detected in the family. [4]
Ecologically, Naetrocymbaceae species bridge several lifestyles: most are decomposers, a few form opportunistic lichen associations, and some grow as harmless parasites on established lichens (lichenicolous). [4]
