The Cladoniaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecanorales. With about 560 species distributed amongst 18 genera, it is one of the largest families of lichen-forming fungi. Molecular phylogenetics studies have provided new insights into its complex taxonomic history, refining its classification. While Cladoniaceae species are found globally, from Arctic tundra to tropical rainforests, they favour humid environments and are intolerant of arid conditions. Notable members include reindeer moss and cup lichens of the genus Cladonia, which comprises about 500 species and forms a significant part of the diet for large mammals in taiga and tundra ecosystems.
The Roccellaceae are a family of mostly lichen-forming fungi in the order Arthoniales, established by the French botanist François Fulgis Chevallier in 1826. Species in the family exhibit various growth forms, including crustose and fruticose (shrub-like) thalli, and diverse reproductive structures. Roccellaceae species typically have disc-like or slit-like fruiting bodies, often with distinct blackened margins. Molecular phylogenetics studies have revealed considerable genetic diversity and complex evolutionary histories within the family.
The Pertusariales are an order of fungi in the class Lecanoromycetes, comprising 8 families, 31 genera, and over 600 species, many of which form lichens. This diverse group is characterized by complex taxonomic history and ongoing phylogenetic revisions. Originally proposed by Maurice Choisy in 1949 and later formally published by the lichenologists David L. Hawksworth and Ove Eriksson in 1986, Pertusariales has undergone significant reclassification due to molecular phylogenetics studies. The order includes well-known genera such as Pertusaria and Ochrolechia, as well as families like Megasporaceae and Icmadophilaceae.
Schismatomma is a genus of mostly lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellaceae.
The Lecideaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Lecideales. It contains about 30 genera and roughly 250 species. A major distinguishing characteristic of the family is the lecanoroid form of the fruiting bodies: typically circular, dark, and without a thalline margin. Most species in the family are lichenised with green algae, although a few species, scattered amongst several genera, are lichenicolous—they live on other lichens. Lecideaceae lichens tend to grow on rocks, wood, and soil. Several Lecideaceae species accelerate the weathering of rock surfaces, a process known as pedogenesis, by extending their hyphae into cracks and expelling rock flakes. This contributes to significantly faster weathering rates in certain environments, impacts various materials from natural rocks to man-made Sekishu roof tiles, and involves key biomolecules identified for survival and biodeterioration, including compounds to withstand intense ultraviolet radiation.
Calicium sequoiae is a crustose lichen that has only been found growing on old-growth redwood trees in California. It is a species of pin lichen in the family Caliciaceae. Apothecia are white-powder coated (pruinose). The unusual spores have spiral ridges.
Diromma is a monotypic fungal genus in the family Roccellaceae. It contains the single species Diromma dirinellum, a rare crustose lichen that grows as a parasite on the lichen Dirina ceratoniae. It has a distribution restricted to the Mediterranean Basin.
Candelariella clarkiae is a rare species of crustose lichen in the family Candelariaceae. It was discovered in Colorado, USA, and formally described as a new species in 2015 by lichenologists Erin Tripp and James Lendemer. It was originally published with the species epithet clarki, but this was subsequently corrected to clarkiae. The name honors Dina Clark, Collections Manager at the University of Colorado herbarium, for her significant contributions to the knowledge of the Colorado flora, particularly the high plains ecosystems flanking the Southern Rocky Mountains. The authors note of the lichen that "it is bright and sunny, just like Dina’s disposition".
Lecidea hoganii is a rare species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. It is known to occur only in Boulder, Colorado, where it grows in association with other lichens in mixed saxicolous communities on sandstone in the Fox Hills Formation. The lichen is characterized by its thick white, chalky thallus, sessile to raised apothecia, presence of a dark pink pigment in the hymenium, and absence of secondary compounds.
Teuvoahtiana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens, all of which occur in South America.
Teloschistes peruensis is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling) fruticose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found only in a few small areas in Peru and Chile. It has been assessed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to its small population, limited geographic range, and various threats.
Caloplaca cupulifera is a widely distributed species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It has a chrome-yellow thallus with bright yellow cup-shaped soredia. Although originally described as a new species in 1915 and placed in the large genus Caloplaca in 1931, modern molecular phylogenetics suggests that its classification requires an update.
Kuettlingeria albolutescens is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It occurs in Europe and Western Asia.
Xanthaptychia aurantiaca, the Arctic orangebush lichen, is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), fruticose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. This small orange lichen is endemic to the Canadian Arctic and is known from a few scattered collections across this region. It was classified as an endangered species by the IUCN in 2020.
Caloplaca rinodinae-albae is a lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) species of crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae, first described in 1987. This species is unique for its parasitic growth on the lichen Helmutiopsis alba. Characteristics of the lichen include its small, rounded, pale orange thalli and its ability to form larger patches through the confluence of individual thalli.
Staurospora purpurissata is a fungal genus in the family Arthoniaceae. This monotypic genus contains the single species Staurospora purpurissata, a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen. It is distinguished from other genera in the family by its unique spherical ascospores. The genus was circumscribed in 2018 by the Austrian lichenologist Martin Grube. The type species was originally described by William Nylander in 1863, who placed it in the genus Arthonia. In his original characterisation of the species, Nylander described it as having a thallus that is either white or pale and very thin, either matte and undefined or bordered by a blackish prothallus line. The apothecia are dark brown to black, oblong and irregularly shaped, flat, and of medium size, barely protruding, sometimes showing a hint of redness or having a purple-tinged upper margin, with the inside being darkly scarlet or somewhat red-tinged. This species typically grows on tree bark and the type specimen was collected at an elevation of 2,500 m (8,200 ft). Nylander emphasized its paradoxical nature within the genus, especially due to its unique colouration and habitat, differentiating it significantly from related species and assigning it to a distinct section of the genus characterised by variably coloured, non-black apothecia.
Sporodophoron americanum is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Arthoniaceae. Found in northeastern North America, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by the lichenologists James Lendemer, Erin Tripp, and Richard C.Harris. Damien Ertz and Andreas Frisch transferred it to Sporodophoron in 2015. The main morphological characteristics of the lichen include its blue-grey thallus, Trentepohlia algal photobiont partner, and white sporodochia. It has been assessed as an endangered species for the IUCN Red List.
Lecanactis proximans is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It has been assessed as Critically Endangered for the IUCN Red List. It is known only from a single location in the Cerros Orientales of Bogotá, Colombia.
Ancistrosporella leucophila is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. Originally described in 1867 from a specimen found in Colombia, it was reclassified in 2018, expanding its known range to include Venezuela. The lichen is characterised by its whitish body and distinctive black, elongated reproductive structures. It grows in well-preserved tropical forests at varying elevations, from about 110 to 1,200 metres above sea level. Characteristics of A. leucophila include its hook-shaped spores and the presence of psoromic acid, which causes it to turn yellow-orange in a certain chemical spot test. Due to its extremely limited known distribution and the threats to its habitat from deforestation and land-use changes, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified A. leucophila as a Critically Endangered species.
Chiodecton subordinatum is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It is known only from a single location in Colombia and is currently classified as data deficient by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to a lack of information about its population, habitat, and potential threats.
