Vahliellaceae

Vahliella is a genus of nine species of lichen-forming fungi in the order Peltigerales. It is the only member of Vahliellaceae, a family circumscribed in 2010 to contain this genus. Vahliella was formerly placed in the family Pannariaceae until molecular phylogenetics showed that it did not belong there. Vahliella species are found in the Northern Hemisphere – mainly in North America, but also in Europe and India.

Vahliella species somewhat resemble those of the genus Fuscopannaria – in which they were originally classified – but are distinguished from them by the layered apical amyloid sheets of the asci, the lack of lichen substances, and the absence of an epispore.