Cheiromycina is a small genus of 4 species, one of which probably does not belong there (Muggia & al. 2017), characterised by eustromatic sporodochial conidiomata, a thick-walled branched conidiogenous system and holobastic flabelliform to palmate, hyaline to pale brown, distoseptate conidia. The genus represents one of the very few known genera of hyphomycetous lichens; its systematic position was unknown, but genetic data by Muggia & al. (2017) place it within Lecanoromycetidae. A key to the species, which we mostly follow here, was provided by Printzen (2007). Further information on the individual species is in Hawkwsworth & Poelt (1986, 1990), Sutton & Muhr (1986), and Kukwa & al. (2017).
As most species are likely to have been largely overlooked by lichenologists, being always sterile, the present key includes all species known from Europe, only one of which was reported from Italy, and also includes Dictyocatenulata alba,which was also described as a member of Cheiromycina (Aptroot & Schiefelbein 2003), but it clearly differs from species of that genus in having distinct synnemata of variable height, muriform conidia, and a very distinct conidiogenesis (Morris & Finley 1967, Seifert & al. 1987, Diederich & al. 2008); Reichlingia leopoldii, another, unrelated hyphomycetous lichen, is also included in the key, for a total of 6 species.

References

Aptroot A., Schiefelbein U. 2003. Additional species of Cheiromycina (lichenized hyphomycetes), with a key to the known species. Mycol. Res., 107,1 : 104-107.
Diederich P., Palice Z., Ertz D. 2008. Cheiromycina ananas is a synonym of Dictyocatenulata alba, a widespread, lichenized, synnematous hyphomycete herewith reported as new for Europe. Sauteria, 15: 205-214.
Hawksworth D.L., Poelt J. 1986. Five additional genera of conidial lichen-formig fungi from Europe. Pl. Syst. Evol., 154, 3-4: 195-211.
Hawksworth D.L., Poelt J. 1990. A second lichen-forming species Cheiromycina from Austria. Lichenologist, 22, 3: 219-224.
Kukwa M., Czarnota P., Łubek A. 2017. Three lichen species in Buellia, Catillaria, and Cheiromycina new to Poland. Mycotaxon, 122: 177-182.
Morris E.F., Finley D.E. 1967. Two new genera of stilbellaceous fungi. Amer. Midl. Nat., 77: 200-204.
Muggia L., Mancinelli R., Tønsberg T., Jabłońska A., Kukwa M., Palice Z. 2017. Molecular analyses uncover the phylogenetic placement of the lichenized hyphomycetous genus Cheiromycina. Mycologia, 109, 4: 588-600.
Printzen C. 2007. New records of Cheiromycina species, a genus of lichenized hyphomycetes, with C. reimeri sp. nov. and a revised key to the species. Nova Hedwigia, 84, 1-2: 261-267.
Seifert K.A., Okada G., Rao V. 1987. The synnematous hyphomycete Dictyocatenulata alba. Mycologia, 79: 459-462.
Sutton B.C., Muhr L.-E. 1986. Cheiromycina flabelliformis gen et sp. nov. on Picea from Sweden. Nordic J. Bot. 6, 6: 831-836.

Last modified: October, 9, 2022

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