Santricharia
Santricharia is a fungal genus in the family Gomphillaceae. It is a monospecific genus, comprising the single species Santricharia farinosa, a leaf-dwelling lichen.
Taxonomy
Santricharia was circumscribed by Amanda Xavier-Leite, Marcela Cáceres, and Robert Lücking in 2023. It contains a single species formerly placed in the genus Tricharia. Molecular analysis showed this species to be unrelated to Tricharia, but closely related to Rubrotricha, a genus with which it shares little apomorphy. The genus name honours the Swedish lichenologist Rolf Santesson, who originally described the type species in 1952.Description
Santricharia is a foliicolous lichen that forms a continuous thallus with a coarsely warted texture. The thallus is often accompanied by numerous black, sterile bristle-like structures, giving it a distinctive appearance. A dark brown, a marginal layer of fungal tissue, is usually present at the edges of the thallus.The reproductive structures, or apothecia, are either closely attached to the or slightly raised. They belong to the type, meaning they lack a distinct. Both the and the of the apothecia are covered in a thick, dark brown, a powdery or granular coating. The, the protective layer surrounding the apothecium, consists of a dense, interwoven network of fungal hyphae and is dark brown in colour. The, the supportive tissue beneath the hymenium, shares the same interwoven structure but remains colourless. The, the uppermost layer of the hymenium, is also dark brown and has a granular texture.
The are, meaning they are divided by multiple internal walls, creating a structure similar to a brick pattern. In addition to sexual reproduction, Santricharia also produces specialised asexual structures known as, which appear as black, bristle-like projections. These structures bear, chains of sausage-shaped fungal segments that detach and contribute to asexual reproduction.