Fungalpedia – Note 2584, Perigrapha
Perigrapha Hafellner.
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1
Classification: Arthoniales genera incertae sedis, Arthoniomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Perigrapha was introduced by Hafellner (1996b) to accommodate the lichenicolous species P. superveniens (Nyl.) Hafellner, transferred from Melanotheca superveniens Nyl., found on the thallus of Parmelia sulcata Taylor. This genus is characterized by black pseudostromata that aggregate numerous ascomata. These pseudostromata exhibit perithecium-like structures called “Carpocentra,” which have dot-like ostioles and are surrounded by a collar of the host thallus.Other characteristics include slightly clavate to cylindrical arthonial asci containing 4–8 spores, as well as slender, spindle-shaped ascospores with 3 septa and tails formed from the perisporic layer (Hafellner 1996b). Initially, this genus was placed within Opegraphaceae by Hafellner (1996), however, Lumbsch et al. (2007) relocated this genus to Arthoniales genera incertae sedis, and this viewpoint was widely accepted (Lumbsch et al. 2007, Wijayawardene et al. 2017, Diederich et al. 2018a, Hyde et al. 2024). Due to the absence of molecular data, its definitive phylogenetic position remains unresolved.
Ertz et al. (2005) introduced the second species, Perigrapha nitida, growing on the thallus of Pseudocyphellaria glabra. Pérez-Vargas et al. (2013) introduced the third species, Perigrapha phaeophysciae, which inhabits Phaeophyscia orbicularis. Additionally, Zhurbenko et al. (2015d) published a new species, Perigrapha lobariae, growing on the thallus of Lobaria japonica, from Hokkaido of Japan. The most recently published species is Perigrapha cetrariae which grows on Cetraria laevigata, and was introduced by Zhurbenko et al. (2018b). It is characterized by having loculi completely embedded in a stroma and ascospores lacking caudate appendages (Zhurbenko et al. 2018b). To date, five species are recognized in this genus, and all of which are lichenicolous.
Type species:Perigrapha superveniens (Nyl.) Hafellner, on Parmelia sulcata
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Perigrapha
Figure 1 – Perigrapha superveniens redrawn from Hafellner (1996b). a-b Section of apothecium. c Asci. d Ascospores of P. superveniens. e Ascospores of Parmelia. Scale bars a, b = 100 μm, c–e = 10 μm.
References
Lumbsch HT, Huhndorf SM. 2007 – Outline of Ascomycota—2007. Myconet 13, 1–58.
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 9 June 2026