Lichenopeltella is a genus of fungi in the family Microthyriaceae. It comprises about 50 species. The genus was established in 1919 by the mycologist Franz Xaver Rudolf von Höhnel, and its classification within fungal families has been revised several times as scientists better understand its relationships. Nearly all species in the genus are specialized parasites that live on lichens rather than forming lichens themselves, often targeting specific host species. These fungi are found worldwide and are recognized by their tiny, shield-like fruiting bodies that develop on the surface of their lichen hosts.
Systematics
Lichenopeltella is a genus of ascomycetous fungi circumscribed by the mycologist Franz Xaver Rudolf von Höhnel in 1919. Höhnel established the genus as monotypic, with Lichenopeltella maculans as the type species. This species was originally described as Microthyrium maculans by Friedrich Wilhelm Zopf in 1898, but Höhnel created Lichenopeltella to accommodate it, reflecting its lichen-associated nature. Over time, many fungi now placed in Lichenopeltella were originally described under other genera such as Actinopeltis, Micropeltis, or Trichothyrina. In fact, most of the "core" species of Lichenopeltella were initially assigned to those genera. Subsequent taxonomic work by Rolf Santesson and others determined that Micropeltis and Trichothyrina are synonyms of Lichenopeltella, leading to numerous recombinations of species into Lichenopeltella.
As of 2020 Lichenopeltella included about 48 species worldwide. In the 1990s, the mycologist Paul Diederich significantly expanded the genus by describing 11 new species and providing a key to the 26 lichenicolous species known at that time. The genus name itself reflects its ecology: Lichenopeltella meaning "small lichen shield", in reference to the tiny shield-like fruiting bodies on lichens.
In terms of higher-level classification, Lichenopeltella has had a somewhat unsettled placement. Historically it...
