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Lichina is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lichinaceae. The genus contains four marine species. These include species such as L. pygmaea or Lichina confinis, in which the associated cyanobiont has been assigned to the genus Rivularia. Furthermore, evidence of a high specificity of each mycobiont towards particular cyanobiont lineages in both species has been detected.
Lichina species play important roles in rocky coastal ecosystems. They are often associated with diverse bacterial communities and can form on rock surfaces. The genus shows varying levels of genetic diversity, with L. intermedia showing particularly high intraspecific variation.
Recent phylogenetic studies have led to a reevaluation of the genus Lichina. Several species previously included in the genus, such as L. antarctica, L. minutissima, L. tasmanica, and L. willeyi, are now considered to be phylogenetically distinct from the core Lichina group. These species, along with others like L. rosulans and L. polycarpa, are typically non-marine and form pycnoascocarps, characteristics that set them apart from the four recognised marine Lichina species. As a result, they are likely to be reclassified into different genera in future taxonomic revisions. Additionally, some species like L. antarctica and L. macrospora require further phylogenetic evaluation to determine their taxonomic placement.
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