Fungalpedia – Note 2917, Crittendeniaceae
Crittendeniaceae Millanes, Diederich & Wedin.
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank.
Classification: Crittendeniaceae, Agaricostilbales, Agaricostilbomycetidae, Agaricostilbomycetes, Pucciniomycotina, Basidiomycota, Fungi.
Crittendeniaceae was introduced by Diederich et al (2022c) to accommodate Crittendenia. It is distinguished from Chionosphaeraceae by the presence of basidia with a basal clamp and its lichenicolous habitat. Phylogenetic analyses place this family within Agaricostilbales (Diederich et al. 2022c).
The family is characterized by a thallus that typically spreads over the host thallus or is reduced. The thallus is flat or swollen to subspherical, hyaline to more commonly brownish, often darker than the host thallus, strongly gelatinous, and translucent. The basidiomata are stipitate-capitate, synnemata-like, fleshy-waxy, and vary in color from whitish to pale brownish, pinkish, or orangish, with a slightly translucent appearance. Basidia are apical, tubular, with the largest diameter near the apex, aseptate, and usually have basal clamps that may proliferate to form additional basidia. When immature, basidia are apically rounded; when mature, they bear (1–)4–8 short, inconspicuous sterigmata that collapse after spore detachment. Basidiospores are hyaline, aseptate, shortly to elongate ellipsoid or fusiform, without a distinct basal apiculus (but often slightly truncate at the base), not forcibly discharged, and frequently released in clusters of 3–8 spores. The spore walls are usually smooth and relatively thin. Subspherical yeast-like cells, much smaller than basidiospores, are frequently abundant in the hymenium, on the stipe, or within the surrounding host thallus, though their connection to Crittendenia remains unestablished (Diederich et al. 2022c).
Type genus: Crittendenia Diederich, Millanes, M. Westb., Etayo, J.C. Zamora & Wedin.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Crittendeniaceae.
References
Entry by
Meng QF, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand and School of Public Health, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China.
Published online 7 August 2026