Lichenothelia
Lichenothelia D. Hawksw., Lichenologist 13(2): 142 (1981).
Index Fungorum number: IF 2855; Facesoffungi number: FoF 07700, 11 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), 9 species with molecular data.
Thallus endolithic or epilithic, endokapylic or episubstratic, black, dispersed or continuous, areolate or not, rarely effigurate, or formed of superficial hyphae, branching or not, sometimes connecting stromata. Meristematic growth common. Sexual morph: Ascomata perithecioid, ostiolate, with interascal filaments, the hymenial gel amyloid or not, or fertile stromata of various shapes, without an ostiole, the asci forming in pseudoparenchymatous locules, the interascal gel amyloid or not. Asci globose to broadly clavate, bitunicate, sometimes K/I+ bluish around the outer layers or apex of the ascus. Ascospores brown, 8 per ascus (but frequently few becoming mature), uniseptate to muriform (often variable), ellipsoid to subglobose, halonate or not, ornamented or not. Asexual morph: Macroconidia black, originating from the surface of superficial hyphae, varying in shape and number of cells, common. Pycnidia, immersed in vegetative stromata, conidia hyaline, non-septate and rod-shaped (adapted from Henssen 1987).
Type species: Lichenothelia scopularia (Nyl.) D. Hawksw.
Notes: Lichenothelia is characterised by endolithic or epilithic, endokapylic or episubstratic thallus, perithecioid, ostiolate ascomata, globose to broadly clavate asci and brown, uniseptate to muriform (often variable), ellipsoid to subglobose ascospores. The asexual morph is characterised by black macroconidia originating from the surface of superficial hyphae, immersed pycnidia, hyaline, non-septate and rod-shaped conidia. Several authors described Lichenothelia species based on morphology from environmental samples (Hawksworth 1981, Henssen 1987, Atienza & Hawksworth 2008, Zhurbenko 2008, Etayo 2010, Muggia et al. 2015, Valadbeigi et al. 2016). Hawksworth (1981) and Muggia et al. (2013) suggested that Lichenothelia has a link between rock-inhabiting and lichenized fungi. Etayo (2010) considered Lichenothelia in lichen surveys and Kocourková and Knudsen (2009) included it as lichen parasites. Muggia et al. (2015) characterised five Lichenothelia species and revised the species concept of the genus introduced by Henssen (1987) in his survey. Lichenothelia is a distinct and well-defined genus in Lichenotheliaceae. Molecular markers available for Lichenothelia include LSU and SSU.
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