''Tricharia'' 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 ...

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

Gomphillaceae The Gomphillaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Graphidales. Species in this family are found mostly in tropical regions. The family underwent a major molecular phylogenetics-led reorganisation in 2023, in which 17 genera were ...

. It has an estimated 30 species.

Taxonomy

Recent

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, ...

studies have shown that the long, carbon-black bristles (sterile ) that once united many species under ''Tricharia'' evolved several times independently within the family. A two-gene

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree or phylogeny is a graphical representation which shows the evolutionary history between a set of species or Taxon, taxa during a specific time.Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, M ...

published in 2024 confirmed that the type lineage of ''Tricharia'' (species with pale, thin-walled

apothecia An ascocarp, or ascoma (: ascomata), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. As ...

l rims) forms a well-supported

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

distinct from three other "black-setae" groups that had been bundled together on the basis of bristle

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

. In particular, the Costa Rican species ''Tricharia paradoxa''—long treated as an odd member of the genus—was transferred to the monospecific genus '' Paratricharia'' and shown to be

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 ...

to ''

Caleniopsis ''Caleniopsis'' is a genus of fungi in the family Gomphillaceae The Gomphillaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Graphidales. Species in this family are found mostly in tropical regions. The family underwent a major molecul ...

'' in the early-diverging ''Aulaxina'' clade, far removed from ''Tricharia'' in the strict sense. The same analysis placed the remaining black-setae

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

in the separate genera ''

Microxyphiomyces ''Microxyphiomyces'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Gomphillaceae. The genus was originally proposed in 1961 by Augusto Chaves Batista and colleagues, but was later merged into the genus ''Tricharia'' for much of the twentieth ...

'' and ''

Santricharia ''Santricharia'' is a fungal genus in the family Gomphillaceae. It is a monospecific genus, comprising the single species ''Santricharia farinosa'', a leaf-dwelling lichen. Taxonomy ''Santricharia'' was circumscribed by Amanda Xavier-Leite, M ...

'', confirming that bristles alone are a poor guide to deep relationships, whereas apothecial structure carries stronger phylogenetic signal. A world-wide phylogeny released in 2025, which sampled more than 500 representatives of the

, corroborated this arrangement and predicted that ''Tricharia'' in the strict sense may harbour additional

cryptic species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

yet to be recognised. That study divided the family into at least five major lineages—each dominated by leaf-dwelling taxa—and estimated that the true diversity of ''Tricharia'' could exceed the roughly 30 currently accepted species once unsequenced material from Africa and South-East Asia is examined.

Species

*'' Tricharia atrocarpa'' *'' Tricharia aulaxiniformis'' – Brazil *'' Tricharia cretea'' *'' Tricharia duotela'' –

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

*'' Tricharia elegans'' –

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

*'' Tricharia floridensis'' *'' Tricharia gilva'' *'' Tricharia helminthospora'' *'' Tricharia hyalina'' *'' Tricharia kashiwadanii'' – Japan *'' Tricharia lancicarpa'' *'' Tricharia livida'' *'' Tricharia longispora'' *'' Tricharia membranula'' *'' Tricharia nigriuncinata'' – East Africa *'' Tricharia novoguineensis'' –

*'' Tricharia oaxacae'' – Mexico *'' Tricharia pallida'' *'' Tricharia paraguayensis'' *'' Tricharia praecox'' *'' Tricharia pseudosantessonii'' – Costa Rica *'' Tricharia santessoniana'' *'' Tricharia santessonii'' *'' Tricharia similis'' – Democratic Republic of the Congo *'' Tricharia sipmanii'' –

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

*'' Tricharia sublancicarpa'' – Mexico *'' Tricharia subumbrosa'' –

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada *'' Tricharia tuckerae'' –

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, USA *'' Tricharia urceolata'' *'' Tricharia vainioi'' *'' Tricharia variratae'' – Papua New Guinea

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7840642 Gomphillaceae Lichen genera Graphidales genera Taxa named by Antoine Laurent Apollinaire Fée Taxa described in 1825