Fungalpedia – Note 2579, Phacographa

 

Phacographa Hafellner.

Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.

Classification: Lecanographaceae, Arthoniales, Arthoniomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi 

Phacographa was introduced by Hafellner (2009) to accommodate some lichenicolous ascomycetes commonly treated as Opegrapha species. The genus is characterized by roundish, carbonized ascomata with a persistently unilocular centrum, a well-developed exciple, and broadly cylindrical to subclavate, short-stalked asci with a hemiamyloid apical ring. The ascospores are colourless, 3-septate, with rounded ends and surrounded by a thin gelatinous sheath that degenerates to form verruculose ornamentation with age (Cannon et al. 2021b). 

Hafellner (2009) consider the ascomatal shape of Phacographa is more similar to Lecanactis than Opegrapha, which is characterized by hysterothecioid ascomata. Therefore, the new genus Phacographa was proposed, and Phacographa glaucomaria was designated as the type species. In addition, a new species and two new combinations were described (Hafellner 2009). Frisch et al. (2022) transferred Epicladonia lapponica Ihlen to Phacographa lapponica, which grows on Pleopsidium chlorophanum.

To date, four species are recognized in this genus, with 16 sequences belong to LSU, RPB2, mtSSU and ITS in Genbank (2025). The Phacographa was firstly included in the phylogenetic analysis based on LSU and mtSSU by Frisch et al. (2014a), which was placed within Lecanographaceae (Arthoniales). 

Type species: Phacographa glaucomaria (Nyl.) Hafellner.    

     Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Phacographa.

Figure 1 – Phacographa glaucomaria redrawn from Hafellner (2009). a section of apothecium. b Asci. c Ascospores. Scale bar: a = 100 μm, b, c = 10 μm.

 

References

Cannon P, Coppins B, Ertz D, Pentecost A et al. 2021b – Arthoniales: Lecanographaceae including the genera Alyxoria, Lecanographa, Phacographa, Plectocarpon and Zwackhia. Revisions of British and Irish Lichens 14, 1–15.

Frisch A, Thor G, Ertz D, Grube M. 2014a – The arthonialean challenge: restructuring Arthoniaceae. Taxon 63 (4), 727–744.

Frisch A, Ohmura Y, Holien H, Bendiksby M. 2022 – A phylogenetic survey of the ascomycete genus Arthrorhaphis (Arthrorhaphidaceae, Lecanoromycetes) including new species in Arthrorhaphis citrinella sensu lato. Taxon 71 (5), 936–962.

Hafellner J. 2009 – Phacothecium resurrected and the new genus Phacographa (Arthoniales) proposed. Bibliotheca Lichenologica 100, 85–121.

 

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 5 June

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