Parmeliaceae

Parmeliaceae
Parmelia saxatilis
Parmelia saxatilis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Parmeliaceae
Zenker (1827)
Type genus
Parmelia
Ach. (1803)
Genera[1]

See text

The Parmeliaceae is a large and diverse family of Lecanoromycetes. With over 2700 species[2] in 71 genera, it is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi. The most speciose genera in the family are the well-known groups: Xanthoparmelia (822 species), Usnea (355 species), Parmotrema (255 species), and Hypotrachyna (262 species).[3]

Nearly all members of the family have a symbiotic association with a green alga (most often Trebouxia spp., but Asterochloris spp. are known to associate with some species).[4] The majority of Parmeliaceae species have a foliose, fruticose, or subfruticose growth form. The morphological diversity and complexity exhibited by this group is enormous, and many specimens are exceedingly difficult to identify down to the species level.

The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, and is present in a wide range of habitats and climatic regions.[5] This includes everywhere from roadside pavement to alpine rocks, from tropical rainforest trees to subshrubs in the Arctic tundra. Members of the Parmeliaceae are found in most terrestrial environments. Several Parmeliaceae species have been assessed for the global IUCN Red List.

  1. ^ "Parmeliaceae". NCBI taxonomy. Bethesda, MD: National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lücking et al. 2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wijayawardene et al. 2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Miadlikowska, J. et al. (2006). New insights into classification and evolution of the Lecanoromycetes (Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota) from phylogenetic analyses of three ribosomal RNA- and two protein-coding genes. Mycologia 98: 1088-1103. http://www.mycologia.org/cgi/reprint/98/6/1088.pdf
  5. ^ Cannon PF, Kirk PM (2007). Fungal Families of the World. Wallingford: CABI. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-85199-827-5.