Sporastatia A. Massal, a genus of c. 10 species occurring in montane and arctic regions of both Hemispheres, was for a long time included in the Acarosporaceae (see e.g. Magnusson 1936) due to the multi-spored asci. Already Hertel & Rambold (1988) had noted some similarities with Catillaria, and Rambold & Triebel (1992) placed the genus in the Catillariaceae (see also Hafellner 1995). Its taxonomic position has been clarified by Miadlikowska & al. (2014): the genus is related to Rhizocarpon, but placed in its own family, the Sporastatiaceae. Good descriptions and a key are Wirth & al. (2013), and Ryan & Nash (2004).
This key includes only the two species occurring in Italy.

References

Hafellner J. 1995. Towards a better circumscription of the Acarosporaceae (lichenized Ascomycotina, Lecanorales). Cryptogamic Botany, 5: 99-104.
Hertel H., Rambold G. 1988. Lecidea mosigii (Koerb.) Anzi, eine Art der Gattung Orphniospora Koerb. (Fuscideaceae, Teloschistalcs). Mitt. bot. Staatssamml. München, 27: 111-123.
Magnusson A.H. 1936. Acarosporaceae und Thelocarpaceae. Rabenhorst's Kryptogamen-Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 2nd ed. Band 9 Abt. 5, 1: 1-318.
Miadlikowska J., Kauff F., Högnabba F., Oliver J.C., Molnár K, Fraker E., Gaya E., Hafellner J., Hofstetter V., Gueidan C., Otálora M.A.G., Hodkinson B., Kukwa M., Lücking R., Björk C., Sipman H.J.M., Burgaz A.R., Thell A., Passo A., Myllys L., Goward T., Fern 2014. A multigene phylogenetic synthesis for the class Lecanoromycetes (Ascomycota): 1307 fungi representing 1139 infrageneric taxa, 317 genera and 66 families. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 79: 132-168.
Rambold G., Triebel D. 1992. The inter-Iecanoralean associations. Bibl. Lichenol., 48: 1-201.
Ryan B.D., Nash T.H. III 2004. Sporastatia. In: Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region, 2: 508-509. Lichens Unlimited, Tempe, Arizona.
Wirth V., Hauck M., Schultz M. 2013. Die Flechten Deutschlands. Stuttgart, Ulmer. 2 voll., 1244 pp.

Last modified: September, 8, 2022