''Clavascidium'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
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 ...
s in the family
Verrucariaceae
Verrucariaceae is a family of lichens and a few non-lichenised fungi in the order Verrucariales. The lichens have a wide variety of thallus forms, from crustose (crust-like) to foliose (bushy) and squamulose (scaly). Most of them grow on lan ...
.
The genus was
circumscribed In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle.
* Circum ...
in 1996 by Austrian lichenologist Othmar Breuss.
Because the
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
of the genus, ''
Clavascidium umbrinum'', has been shown using
molecular phylogenetics
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
to belong to genus ''
Placidium'',
Cécile Gueidan
Cécile Gueidan is a mycologist and lichenologist who applies morphological and molecular biological methods to the origin and taxonomy of fungi that live in lichen symbioses and within rocks.
Early life and education
Gueidan began working on ...
and colleagues proposed to unite ''Clavascidium'' with ''Placidium'' in a 2009 publication.
Despite this, the genus has been retained in recent publications of fungal classification.
Species
* ''
Clavascidium antillarum''
* ''
Clavascidium imitans''
* ''
Clavascidium kisovense''
* ''
Clavascidium krylovianum''
* ''
Clavascidium lacinulatum''
* ''
Clavascidium pseudorufescens''
* ''
Clavascidium semaforonense''
* ''
Clavascidium sinense''
– China
A couple of species once proposed for inclusion in this genus are now classified in other genera:
* ''Clavascidium liratum'' is now ''
Anthracocarpon virescens
''Anthracocarpon'' is a small fungal genus in the family Verrucariaceae. It is found in Mediterranean regions, the Caribbean, and South America. These lichens form low, crusty patches made up of overlapping scales that grow close to the ground ...
''
* ''
Clavascidium umbrinum'' is now ''
Placidium umbrinum''.
A proposed generic transfer of ''Catapyrenium alvarense'' to ''Clavascidium'' in 2017
was
invalidly published according to
nomenclatural rules.
References
Eurotiomycetes genera
Lichen genera
Verrucariales
Taxa described in 1996
Taxa named by Othmar Breuss
{{Eurotiomycetes-stub