The ''Chaetothyriaceae'' are a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of ascomycetous

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

within the order

Chaetothyriales The Chaetothyriales are an order of ascomycetous fungi in the class Eurotiomycetes and within the subclass Chaetothyriomycetidae. The order was circumscribed in 1987 by mycologist Margaret Elizabeth Barr-Bigelow. Families and genera , Specie ...

and within the class

Eurotiomycetes Eurotiomycetes is a large class of ascomycetes with cleistothecial ascocarps within the subphylum Pezizomycotina, currently containing around 3810 species according to the Catalogue of Life. It is the third largest lichenized class, with more th ...

. A 2012

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, ...

analysis of specimens collected from northern Thailand revealed three new species in the family ('' Ceramothyrium thailandicum'', '' Chaetothyrium brischofiacola'' and '' Phaeosaccardinula ficus'').

Lichenization

The first known

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

-forming species in Chaetothyriaceae, '' Ceramothyrium ryukyuense'', was described in 2024 from

Okinawa Island , officially , is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five Japanese archipelago, main islands of Japan. The island is ...

in southern Japan. It was found growing on a living

palm leaf The Arecaceae () is a family (biology), family of perennial plant, perennial, flowering plants in the Monocotyledon, monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbing palm, climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly k ...

in a

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

coastal forest. The species is characterized by minute, brown ascomata and small, predominantly one-septate . It differs from non-lichenized '' Ceramothyrium'' species, such as '' C. paiveae'' and '' C. philodendri'', in its smaller asci and simpler spore structure.

Phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analyses based on nuclear

ribosomal DNA The ribosomal DNA (rDNA) consists of a group of ribosomal RNA encoding genes and related regulatory elements, and is widespread in similar configuration in all domains of life. The ribosomal DNA encodes the non-coding ribosomal RNA, integral struc ...

sequences placed ''C. ryukyuense'' as a

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...

species to '' C. exiguum''. The species is associated with a from the

Trentepohliales Trentepohliaceae are a family (biology), family of green algae, and the only family in the order Trentepohliales. It is a member of the Ulvophyceaen green algae. The family is characterized by traits like net-like chloroplasts without pyrenoids, ...

, marking the first confirmed case of lichenization within the family.

Genera

* '' Actinocymbe'' * '' Ainsworthia'' * '' Almeidaea'' * '' Ceramothyrium'' * '' Chaetothyrium'' * '' Chaetothyriomyces'' * '' Euceramia'' * '' Microcallis'' * '' Mycostevensonia'' * '' Phaeosaccardinula'' * '' Treubiomyces'' * '' Yatesula''

References

Chaetothyriales Ascomycota families Lichen families Taxa described in 1979 Taxa named by Margaret Elizabeth Barr-Bigelow {{Eurotiomycetes-stub