Lichenopeltella is a genus of ascomycetous fungi
circumscribed by the mycologist
Franz Xaver Rudolf von Höhnel in 1919. Höhnel established the genus as
monotypic, with
Lichenopeltella maculans as the
type species. This species was originally described as
Microthyrium maculans by
Friedrich Wilhelm Zopf in 1898, but Höhnel created
Lichenopeltella to accommodate it, reflecting its lichen-associated nature. Over time, many fungi now placed in
Lichenopeltella were originally described under other genera such as
Actinopeltis,
Micropeltis, or
Trichothyrina. In fact, most of the "core" species of
Lichenopeltella were initially assigned to those genera. Subsequent taxonomic work by
Rolf Santesson and others determined that
Micropeltis and
Trichothyrina are
synonyms of
Lichenopeltella, leading to numerous recombinations of species into Lichenopeltella. As of 2020
Lichenopeltella included about 48 species worldwide. In the 1990s, the mycologist Paul Diederich significantly expanded the genus by describing 11 new species and providing a key to the 26 lichenicolous species known at that time. The genus name itself reflects its ecology:
Lichenopeltella meaning "small lichen shield", in reference to the tiny shield-like fruiting bodies on lichens. In terms of higher-level classification,
Lichenopeltella has had a somewhat unsettled placement. Historically it was included in the family
Leptopeltidaceae (order
Microthyriales) by Müller & von Arx (1962) and others. This was because of its superficial, disk-like ascomata resembling those of
Leptopeltis and related genera. However, more recent classifications have revised its position. Lumbsch and Huhndorf (2010) left
Lichenopeltella as
incertae sedis (unplaced) within
Dothideomycetes, and a 2011 reappraisal by Wu and colleagues argued that it fits best in the family Trichothyriaceae. This move was based on
Lichenopeltellas lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) lifestyle, which it shares with other Trichothyriaceae members. Indeed, the
Outline of Fungi (2020) treats
Lichenopeltellas familial and ordinal placement as unresolved (
incertae sedis) but notes it "may be in Trichothyriaceae". In the 2014 classification of Dothideomycetes,
Lichenopeltella is listed under Trichothyriaceae alongside genera like
Trichothyrium and
Pachythyrium. Thus, while older sources placed it in Microthyriaceae (hence some literature still cites it there), current consensus leans toward Trichothyriaceae in the order Microthyriales (or a related order), pending molecular confirmation. A 2012 study suggested merging
Lichenopeltella into the plant-pathogenic genus
Kellermania, but later researchers rejected that, maintaining
Lichenopeltella as distinct. ==Habitat, distribution, and ecology==