Fungalpedia – Note 2580, Plectocarpon
Plectocarpon Fée
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1
Classification: Lecanographaceae, Arthoniales, Arthoniomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Plectocarpon was introduced by Fée (1825) to replace the invalid name ‘Delisea Fée’, as the latter was considered as the homonym of ‘Delisea Lamouroux’ which was published in 1819. The epithet ‘pseudosticta’ was illustrated with a coloured picture by Fée (1825) but not simultaneously combined into Plectocarpon. Fée (1837) combined the epithet pseudosticta into Plectocarpon, with a brief description including ovoid thecae, ending in blunt points, thecae arranged in a double series, numerous, small, rounded, and difficult to escape from their envelopes. Dodge (1948) used to treat Plectocarpon pseudosticta as a synonym of Pseudocyphellaria glabra (Hook. f. & Taylor) C.W. Dodge. However, Hawksworth et al. (1984) rechecked the original material from Delise’s herbarium and proposed the species Pseudocyphellaria delisea (Delise) D. Gallowy & P. James, as the synonym of Plectocarpon pseudosticta and designated P. pseudosticta as the type species of Plectocarpon.
Santesson (1960) strongly recalled Plectocarpon as dothideaceous fungi based on its multilocular ascomata. Eriksson et al. (1991) included the genus in the Arthoniales incertae sedis, then Galloway (1992) considered it as a member of the Arthoniaceae. Diederich et al. (1994b) placed Plectocarpon within Opegraphaceae (Opegraphales) and gave a detailed description.
Ertz et al. (2005) provided a comprehensive description of Plectocarpon and introduced 14 new species in the first monograph on the genus. Although the relationships between Plectocarpon and related genera were discussed, and the similarities and differences with Opegrapha were noted, the delimitation between the two remained unclear. Frisch et al. (2014) conducted a phylogenetic study of Arthoniales using mtSSU, nLSU, and RPB2 sequence data, which showed that Plectocarpon clusters with Alyxoria and Zwackhia within the Lecanographaceae clade. Consequently, the genus is broadly accepted within this family.
The genus is characterized by gall-forming ascomata lichenicolous on the thallus of macrolichens and with verrucose surface, often divided in several confluent or isolated apothecia- or perithecia-like loculi by stromatic tissues, clavate-cylindrical Opegrapha-type asci with 2-8 spores and the colorless, fusiform ascospores with 3 septa and a distinct perispore. The pycnidia immersed in the stromata and the hyaline, bacilliform conidia with a truncate base (Santesson 1960, Eriksson et al. 1991, Galloway 1992, Diederich et al. 1994b).
To date, 45 species are recognized in Plectocarpon, 44 of which are lichenicolous, with five sequences from three species (P. lichenum, P. nephromeum, and P. scrobiculatae) available in GenBank.
Type species: Plectocarpon pseudosticta (Fée) Fée’, on Pseudocyphellaria freycinetii and P. glabra
= Delisea pseudosticta Fée
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Plectocarpon
Figure 1 – Plectocarpon pseudosticta redrawn from Hawksworth et al. (1984). a Apothecia. b Ascospores. scale bar: a = 1mm, b = 10 μm.
References
Dodge CW. 1948 – Lichens and lichen parasites. British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition Scientific Reports Ser. B, 7, 1–276.
Eriksson OE, Hawksworth DL. 1991 – Outline of the ascomycetes-1990. Systema Ascomycetum 9, 39–271.
Fée ALA 1825 – Essai sur les cryptogames des écorces exotiques officinales. Firmin Didot, 1–180.
Santesson R. 1960 – Lichenicolous fungi from northern Spain. Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 54, 499–522.
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