Coccotrema


Coccotrema is a genus of lichen-forming fungi. It is the type genus of the family Coccotremataceae, in the order Pertusariales. The genus contains 16 species.

Taxonomy

Coccotrema was circumscribed by Swiss botanist Johannes [Müller Argoviensis] in 1889, with Coccotrema antarcticum assigned as the type species.
In a 2001 publication, Schmidt and colleagues showed, using molecular phylogenetics, that the species then known as Lepolichen coccophorus was nested in a clade that contained Coccotrema species, and so transferred that species into Coccotrema, as Coccotrema coccophorum. However, the genus Lepolichen is older than Coccotrema, and so its name has priority according to the International [Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants|rules for botanical nomenclature]. To minimize nomenclatural disruption, Alan Fryday and colleagues submitted a proposal to conserve the name Coccotrema against Lepolichen. The proposal was accepted by the Nomenclature [Committee for Fungi] in 2023.

Species