This is a key to all species of Pyrenula, Blastodesmia and Eopyrenula known to occur (or potentially present) in Italy, for a total of 11 species (Nimis 2016). Pyrenula is a large, mainly tropical genus of the Pyrenulaceae, which is poorly represented in Europe. A worldwide key was published by Aptroot (2012), who accepted 169 species out of the c. 745 named taxa in the genus. Good descriptions and a key to all British species are in Orange (2013). The genus Eopyrenula, with c. 6 species wordlwide, was segregated from Pyrenula owing to the different ascospores and macroconidia, the lack of an involucrellum, and the very small perithecia; a single species occurs in Italy. Blastodesmia is a monotypic genus presently included into the Pyrenulaceae, with a non-lichenised epiphytic species. For further details see Aptroot (2012).

References

Aptroot A. 2012. A world key to the species of Anthracothecium and Pyrenula. Lichenologist, 44: 1-54.
Nimis P.L. 2016. The lichens of Italy. A second annotated catalogue. EUT, Trieste, 740 pp.
Orange A. 2013. British Pyrenocarpous Lichens. Distributed by the Author, 169 pp.

Last modified: December, 1, 2022

Project Dryades, Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste - CC BY-SA 4.0