Chicitaea

Chicitaea
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Sarrameanales
Family: Sarrameanaceae
Genus: Chicitaea
Guzow-Krzem., Kukwa & Lendemer (2024)
Type species
Chicitaea lecanoriformis
(Lumbsch, A.W.Archer & Elix) Guzow-Krzem., Kukwa & Lendemer (2024)
Species

C. assateaguensis
C. confusa
C. cristinae
C. lecanoriformis

Chicitaea is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Sarrameanaceae. Established in 2024, it comprises four species that grow as crusts on tree bark in forests across North America, Europe, Australia, and Thailand. The genus was separated from Loxospora based on molecular evidence and chemical differences, particularly the presence of 2'-O-methylperlatolic acid as the main secondary compound. The lichens appear in shades from pale grey-green to olive-grey and can reproduce through both vegetative structures (soredia or isidia) and, in one species, through sexual spore-producing structures (apothecia).