Specimen image via iDigBio · BY
Spilonema
Sign in to saveSpilonema is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Coccocarpiaceae. These lichens form small, dark tufts of thread-like filaments that grow on rocks and are found in various regions from tropical to arctic climates. They partner with nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria, which gives them their distinctive blue-green colouration and allows them to survive in nutrient-poor environments. The genus was established in 1856 by the French botanist Jean-Baptiste Édouard Bornet, who distinguished these species from similar-looking lichens based on their unique internal structure.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomFungi
- PhylumAscomycota
- ClassLecanoromycetes
- OrderPeltigerales
- FamilyCoccocarpiaceae
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 37
- With media
- 16
- Family
- Coccocarpiaceae
- Collections
- US, UTEP, CMN, NY, DUKE, UC
- Recorded in
- France, United States, Canada, Chile, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, Costa Rica
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Coccocarpiaceae
- Image
- Blue-edged Scale and Rock Hairball (4504880006).jpg
Show 6 more facts
- taxon name
- Spilonema
- taxon rank
- genus
- taxon common name
- spilonema lichen
- Commons category
- Spilonema
- taxonomic type
- Spilonema paradoxum
- taxon author citation
- Bornet
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
4 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Description
- Species
- References
Spilonema is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Coccocarpiaceae. These lichens form small, dark tufts of thread-like filaments that grow on rocks and are found in various regions from tropical to arctic climates. They partner with nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria, which gives them their distinctive blue-green colouration and allows them to survive in nutrient-poor environments. The genus was established in 1856 by the French botanist Jean-Baptiste Édouard Bornet, who distinguished these species from similar-looking lichens based on their unique internal structure.
==Taxonomy==
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Spilonema” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.