Lecideales

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 form of the fruiting bodies: typically circular, dark, and without a . 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

The Lecideales are an order of lichenized fungi in the class Lecanoromycetes. The order contains two families: the Lecideaceae, which contains 29 genera and about 260 species, and Lopadiaceae, which contains the single genus Lopadium of 10 species. According to Alan Fryday and colleagues in the Revisions of British and Irish Lichens series, "It seems clear that Lopadiaceae does not belong in Lecideales but its true systematic position is unclear."

Immersaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. Species in the genus form brown to orange-brown crusts on rock, often with a waxy or glossy surface. They are characterised by dark, sunken fruiting bodies that lack the prominent rim seen in some related genera. The genus occurs in Europe, Asia, and the Southern Hemisphere, typically in alpine or montane habitats.

Clauzadea is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. The genus contains four species. These lichens grow almost exclusively on limestone and other calcium-rich rocks, often living mostly hidden within the upper layers of the stone with only a faint grey or brown film visible on the surface. They produce small, initially reddish-brown fruiting bodies that darken to black and may sit flush with the rock surface or be sunken so deeply that they leave neat pits when they weather away.

Koerberiella is a genus of lichenized fungi within the Lecideaceae family.

Bellemerea is a genus of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) crustose lichens in the family Lecideaceae. These lichens form tough, crusty patches on hard rock surfaces, often appearing as a mosaic of small angular blocks in colours ranging from white and grey to brown. The genus includes nine species found primarily in mountainous and polar regions where they help colonize bare rock surfaces in harsh environments.

Catarrhospora is a genus of two species of lichens in the family Lecideaceae that are found in South Africa. The genus was circumscribed by the lichenologist Franklin Andrej Brusse in 1994.

Farnoldia is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. These lichens grow as dark crusts on limestone and other calcium-rich rocks, especially in mountainous areas. The genus contains three known species and can be distinguished from similar lichens by their distinctive black fruiting bodies (apothecia) and violet reaction when tested with iodine staining.

Cecidonia is a genus of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungi in the family Lecideaceae. It has two species. These fungi create distinctive white, warty swellings or galls up to 6 mm across on the surface of their rock-dwelling lichen hosts, which then develop small black fruiting bodies. The genus name refers to this gall-forming behaviour, and the two species primarily attack crustose lichens that grow on siliceous rocks.

species of fungus

Amygdalaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. These lichens are typically found growing as crusts on siliceous rocks in arctic and alpine environments. Members of this genus form crustose thalli and are distinguished by their unusually large, smooth ascospores enclosed in gelatinous sheaths. The lichens have cephalodia containing Stigonema, a blue-green alga that enables nitrogen fixation.

genus of fungi

Stephanocyclos is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Stephanocyclos henssenianus. This crustose lichen was formally described as a new species in 1983 by German lichenologist Hannes Hertel as part of a set of exsiccata (dried herbarium specimens). The type specimen was collected from volcanic rock found on Marion Island, one of the two Prince Edward Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. The specific epithet henssenianus honours lichenologist Aino Henssen.

Romjularia is a fungal genus in the family Lecideaceae, containing the single species Romjularia lurida, a saxicolous and terricolous (rock- and ground-dwelling) squamulose lichen.

Bryobilimbia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi belonging to the family Lecideaceae. It was circumscribed in 2014 by Alan Fryday, Christian Printzen, and Stefan Ekman. The type species is Bryolimbia hypnorum.

Lecidoma is a single-species fungal genus in the family Lecideaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Lecidoma demissum, a crustose lichen. This lichen forms thick, cushion-like crusts up to 12 cm across that are dark brown to grey-brown and broken into tightly packed, slightly swollen blocks giving a lumpy appearance, with glossy black to reddish-brown fruiting bodies dotting the upper surface.

Pachyphysis is a fungal genus in the family Lecideaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Pachyphysis ozarkana, a lichen. It is a crust-forming lichen that grows on limestone and dolomite rocks in open, sunny habitats, and is often inconspicuous because its main body develops within the rock surface rather than on top of it. The species has a restricted range in the eastern and central United States, centred on the Ozarks, and is associated with landscapes that were not covered by ice sheets during the last ice age.

Xenolecia is a genus of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) and crustose lichens in the family Lecideaceae. It has two species: X. cataractarum, and the type species, X. spadicomma. The genus was circumscribed by German lichenologist Hannes Hertel in 1987 to contain the type, a lichen known at that time only from the type locality on Wellington Island, Chile. Its range has since been expanded to include the Falkland Islands and northern Patagonia. X. cataractarum, found in Campbell Island, New Zealand was added to the genus in 2017.