Xylographaceae is a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Baeomycetales. It contains four genus and 25 species.
Taxonomy
The family was circumscribed in 1888 by American lichenologist
Edward Tuckerman (as "Xylographei"). His concept of the family included only
Agyrium, and the
type genus,
Xylographa.
In 1929, British lichenologist Walter Watson published a system of lichen classification and included the genera
Lithographa,
Ptychographa, and
Encephalographa in the Xylographaceae, leaving out
Agyrium.
After that, the family was rarely used until it was resurrected in 2015 following molecular phylogenetic analysis of trapelioid fungi in the subclass
Ostropomycetidae. In this analysis, it was determined that trapelioid
taxon fall into two major
phylogenetic groups; the first group – containing the genera
Rimularia,
Placynthiella,
Trapeliopsis,
Trapelia, and
Placopsis – are part of the family
Trapeliaceae. The remaining trapelioid genera are in the Xylographaceae.
Description
Most species in the Xylographaceae have linearized, hysteriothecial
ascomata.
These are ascomata with elongated ascocarps that are initially closed but open by means of a longitudinal fissure that exposes the
hymenium.
Genera
