Aspilidea Hafellner
in Hafellner & Türk, Stapfia, 76: 149, 2001.
Systematics:
Phylum: Ascomycota Caval.-Sm.
Subphylum: Pezizomycotina O.E.Erikss. & Winka
Class: Lecanoromycetes O.E.Erikss. & Winka
Subclass: Ostropomycetidae Reeb, Lutzoni & Cl.Roux
Order: Incertae sedis
Family: Incertae sedis
Brief description: Thallus crustose, episubstratic, areolate, delimited by a dark prothalllus. Cortex paraplectenchymatous with elongated cells, sometimes covered by a thin epinecral layer; medulla white, I+ pale blue. Apothecia cryptolecanorine-aspicilioid with a black disc and a poorly developed thalline rim. Proper exciple poorly developed, brownish black in outer part, colourless within; epithecium olive-green to green-black; hymenium colourless, euamyloid, I+ blue; paraphyses simple to branched and anastomosing in upper part, the apical cells not or only slightly swollen; hypothecium colourless or pale yellow. Asci 8-spored, clavate, apically thickened, indistinctly I+ blue in lower outer part of tholus. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, broadly ellipsoid, the wall I-. Pycnidia immersed, the wall green-black in upper part, otherwise colourless. Conidia short-bacilliform. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Chemistry: norstictic and connorstictic acids.
Note: This monotypic genus segregated from Aspicilia is not a member of Megasporaceae, but seems to be more closely related to the Ochrolechiaceae (Nordin & al. 2010). Its taxonomic position within the Ostropomycetidae is still not clear.
Type: Aspilidea myrinii (Fr.) Hafellner
