# Astrochapsa

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Genus of lichens

Astrochapsa Astrochapsa mirabilis Scientific classification Kingdom: Fungi Division: Ascomycota Class: Lecanoromycetes Order: Graphidales Family: Graphidaceae Genus: Astrochapsa Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012) Type species Astrochapsa astroidea (Berk. & Broome) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012) Species See text

***Astrochapsa*** is a [genus](/source/Genus) of [lichen](/source/Lichen)-forming [fungi](/source/Fungi) in the subfamily Graphidoideae of the family [Graphidaceae](/source/Graphidaceae). It has about 30 species. The genus was [circumscribed](/source/Circumscription_(taxonomy)) in 2012, with *[Astrochapsa astroidea](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_astroidea&action=edit&redlink=1)* assigned as the [type species](/source/Type_species). It was split from *[Chapsa](/source/Chapsa)* because members of this genus usually have a densely skinned [thallus](/source/Thallus), [apothecial](/source/Apothecium) rims that tend to curve back, and spores that are mostly subdistoseptate (septa slightly thickened; cell spaces angular) and non-[amyloid](/source/Amyloid_(mycology)).

## Taxonomy

*Astrochapsa* was established in 2012 by Sittiporn Parnmen, [Robert Lücking](/source/Robert_L%C3%BCcking), and [H. Thorsten Lumbsch](/source/H._Thorsten_Lumbsch) during a generic-level reclassification of the thelotremoid graphid lichens based on DNA evidence. Their analyses showed that several species then placed in *[Chapsa](/source/Chapsa)* formed a coherent, separate [lineage](/source/Lineage_(evolution)); to reflect that evolutionary split, they erected *Astrochapsa* and made a series of [new combinations](/source/New_combination) into the genus. The [type species](/source/Type_species) was set as *[Astrochapsa astroidea](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_astroidea&action=edit&redlink=1)*.[1]

In practical terms, the authors narrowed the concept of Chapsa (*Chapsa sensu stricto*) and diagnosed *Astrochapsa* by a suite of [characters](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#characters) that tend to occur together in this [clade](/source/Clade). These include a bark crust ([thallus](/source/Thallus)) that is often more thickened and with a developed outer skin (a dense [cortex](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#cortex)), fruiting [discs](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#discs) whose rim is commonly turned slightly outward (a [recurved](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#recurved) margin), and colourless spores that show a faint thickening at the internal walls ("subdistoseptate") and do not turn blue with iodine (non-[amyloid](/source/Amyloid_(mycology))).[1]

Parnmen and colleagues also provided a set of formal transfers from *Chapsa* and related genera into *Astrochapsa*, anchoring the name in current practice and stabilising usage across subsequent taxonomic work on Graphidaceae.[1]

## Description

*Astrochapsa* species form a crust on bark (the thallus) that is usually well "skinned" with a dense outer layer (a [cortex](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#cortex)), rather than appearing loose or without a cortex. Their [fruiting bodies](/source/Fruiting_bodies) ([apothecia](/source/Apothecia)) break through the bark surface and are round to irregular; the inner disc is exposed while the rim is often lobed and commonly bends back slightly (recurved). The rim tissue (the [excipulum](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#excipulum)) is typically brown, and the disc itself can be pale or pigmented. Chemically, many species have no detectable [lichen substances](/source/Lichen_substance), though [stictic acid](/source/Stictic_acid) derivatives are frequent in some; this is consistent with the mix of "no substances" versus "stictic acid and relatives" reported for the genus.[1]

Under the microscope, the spores are colourless (occasionally pale brown), with one or more cross-walls, and they are elongated from spindle-shaped to more cylindrical. The septa between the spore cells are slightly thickened and the cell cavities look angular—features described as "subdistoseptate". A standard iodine test on the spore wall is negative (I–), meaning the wall does not turn blue and so is considered non-amyloid. Taken together with a mostly densely corticate bark crust and apothecia with an often recurved margin and usually brown rim, these characters provide a practical diagnosis of the genus.[1]

## Habitat and distribution

*Astrochapsa* species are bark-dwelling [crustose lichens](/source/Crustose_lichen) of warm, humid forests. They are most often found on the trunks and branches of living trees in lowland to [montane](/source/Montane) tropical settings, where the [canopy](/source/Canopy_(botany)) provides steady moisture and subdued light—conditions typical for the thelotremoid graphids that this genus belongs to.[1]

Geographically, the genus is chiefly tropical and subtropical, with records from the [Neotropics](/source/Neotropics) (including the Caribbean), tropical Africa, and parts of Asia–Pacific. For example, *A. martinicensis* was described from [Martinique](/source/Martinique) in the [Lesser Antilles](/source/Lesser_Antilles), while *A. fusca* is known from tropical [West Africa](/source/West_Africa); other species treated in the 2012 reclassification reflect similarly broad, [pantropical](/source/Pantropical) sampling. Together these reports indicate a primarily bark-inhabiting genus spread across humid tropical regions rather than confined to a single continent.[1]

## Species

As of October 2025[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa&action=edit), [Species Fungorum](/source/Species_Fungorum) (in the [Catalogue of Life](/source/Catalogue_of_Life)) accepts 29 species of *Astrochapsa*:[2]

- *[Astrochapsa albella](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_albella&action=edit&redlink=1)* Sipman (2014)[3]

- *[Astrochapsa alstrupii](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_alstrupii&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Frisch) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa amazonica](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_amazonica&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Kalb) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa astroidea](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_astroidea&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Berk. & Broome) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa calathiformis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_calathiformis&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Vain.) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa columnaris](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_columnaris&action=edit&redlink=1)* Sipman (2014)[3]

- *[Astrochapsa elongata](/source/Astrochapsa_elongata)* Poengs. & Lumbsch (2019)[4]

- *[Astrochapsa fusca](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_fusca&action=edit&redlink=1)* Lücking (2014)[5]

- *[Astrochapsa graphidioides](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_graphidioides&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Kalb) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa kalbii](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_kalbii&action=edit&redlink=1)* Poengs., Lücking & Lumbsch (2014)[6]

- *[Astrochapsa lassae](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_lassae&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Mangold) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa lobata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_lobata&action=edit&redlink=1)* Lücking (2015)[7]

- *[Astrochapsa magnifica](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_magnifica&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Berk. & Broome) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa martinicensis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_martinicensis&action=edit&redlink=1)* Ertz & Borgato (2018)[8]

- *[Astrochapsa mastersonii](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_mastersonii&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Rivas Plata, Lumbsch & Lücking) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa megaphlyctidioides](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_megaphlyctidioides&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Mangold) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa meridensis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_meridensis&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Kalb & Frisch) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa mirabilis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_mirabilis&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Zahlbr.) Lücking & S.Joshi (2018)[9]

- *[Astrochapsa platycarpella](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_platycarpella&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Vain.) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa pseudophlyctis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_pseudophlyctis&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Nyl.) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa pulvereodiscus](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_pulvereodiscus&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Hale) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa recurva](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_recurva&action=edit&redlink=1)* (G.Salisb.) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa sipmanii](/source/Astrochapsa_sipmanii)* Weerakoon & Lücking (2015)[10]

- *[Astrochapsa stellata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_stellata&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Hale) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa submuralis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_submuralis&action=edit&redlink=1)* E.L.Lima, Lücking & M.Cáceres (2016)[11] – Brazil

- *[Astrochapsa verruculosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_verruculosa&action=edit&redlink=1)* Papong, Lücking & Parnmen (2015)[12]

- *[Astrochapsa waasii](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_waasii&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Hale) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa wolseleyana](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_wolseleyana&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Weerakoon, Lumbsch & Lücking) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

- *[Astrochapsa zahlbruckneri](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astrochapsa_zahlbruckneri&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Redinger) Parnmen, Lücking & Lumbsch (2012)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Parnmen_et_al._2012_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Parnmen_et_al._2012_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Parnmen_et_al._2012_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Parnmen_et_al._2012_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Parnmen_et_al._2012_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Parnmen_et_al._2012_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Parnmen_et_al._2012_1-6) Parnmen, Sittiporn; Lücking, Robert; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten (2012). ["Phylogenetic classification at generic level in the absence of distinct phylogenetic patterns of phenotypical variation: a case study in Graphidaceae (Ascomycota)"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3520900). *PLOS ONE*. **7** (12) e51392. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2012PLoSO...751392P](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012PLoSO...751392P). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1371/journal.pone.0051392](https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0051392). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [3520900](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3520900). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [23251515](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23251515).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CoL_34L4_2-0)** ["*Astrochapsa*"](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/34L4). *[Catalogue of Life](/source/Catalogue_of_Life)*. [Species 2000](/source/Species_2000): Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 15 October 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Sipman_2014_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Sipman_2014_3-1) Sipman, Harrie J.M. (2014). ["New species of Graphidaceae from the Neotropics and Southeast Asia"](https://doi.org/10.11646%2Fphytotaxa.189.1.21). *Phytotaxa*. **189** (1): 289–311. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2014Phytx.189..289S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014Phytx.189..289S). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.11646/phytotaxa.189.1.21](https://doi.org/10.11646%2Fphytotaxa.189.1.21).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Poengsungnoen_et_al._2019_4-0)** Poengsungnoen, Vasun; Buaruang, Kawinnat; Vongshewarat, Kajonsak; Sangvichien, Ek; Boonpragob, Kansri; Mongkolsuk, Pachara; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten (2019). "Three new crustose lichens from Thailand". *The Bryologist*. **122** (3): 451–456. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1639/0007-2745-122.3.451](https://doi.org/10.1639%2F0007-2745-122.3.451).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Lücking_2014_5-0)** Lücking, Robert (2014). "Three new species of thelotremoid Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota: Ostropales) from tropical Africa". *Phytotaxa*. **189** (1): 176–179. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.11646/phytotaxa.189.1.12](https://doi.org/10.11646%2Fphytotaxa.189.1.12).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Poengsungnoen_et_al._2014_6-0)** Poengsungnoen, Vasun; Manoch, Leka; Mongkolsuk, Pachara; Boonpragob, Kansri; Parnmen, Sittiporn; LüCking, Robert; Tehler, Anders; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten (2014). ["Phylogenetic analysis reveals two morphologically unique new species in the genera *Astrochapsa* and *Nitidochapsa* (lichenized Ascomycota: Graphidaceae)"](https://biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.189.1.19). *Phytotaxa*. **189** (1): 268. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2014Phytx.189..268P](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014Phytx.189..268P). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.11646/phytotaxa.189.1.19](https://doi.org/10.11646%2Fphytotaxa.189.1.19). Retrieved 15 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Lücking_2015_7-0)** Lücking, R. (2015). ["Thelotremoid Graphidaceae from the NYBG herbarium: New species, range extensions, and a forgotten lichen"](https://doi.org/10.5962%2Fp.386075). *Opuscula Philolichenum*. **14**: 1–57 [3]. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5962/p.386075](https://doi.org/10.5962%2Fp.386075).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Borgato_&_Ertz_2018_8-0)** Borgato, Luca; Ertz, Damien (2018). "A new species of *Astrochapsa* (Graphidaceae) from Martinique, with a world-wide key to the species". *Phytotaxa*. **371** (2): 102–110. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2018Phytx.371..102B](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018Phytx.371..102B). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.11646/phytotaxa.371.2.4](https://doi.org/10.11646%2Fphytotaxa.371.2.4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Joshi_et_al._2018_9-0)** Joshi, Santosh; Upreti, Dalip K.; Divakar, Pradeep K.; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten; Lücking, Robert (2018). "A re-evaluation of thelotremoid Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota: Ostropales) in India". *The Lichenologist*. **50** (6): 627–678. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2018ThLic..50..627J](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018ThLic..50..627J). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S0024282918000439](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0024282918000439).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Weerakoon_et_al._2015_10-0)** Weerakoon, Gothamie; Ngo, Kang Min; Lum, Shawn; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten; Lücking, Robert (2015). "On time or fashionably late for lichen discoveries in Singapore? Seven new species and nineteen new records of Graphidaceae from the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a highly urbanized tropical environment in South-East Asia". *The Lichenologist*. **47** (3): 157–166. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2015ThLic..47..157W](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015ThLic..47..157W). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S0024282915000043](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0024282915000043).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Lima_et_al._2016_11-0)** Lima, Edvaneide Leandro De; Lücking, Robert; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia Da Silva (2016). "Three new species of Graphidaceae (Ostropales, Ascomycota) from Atlantic Forest in Northeast Brazil". *Phytotaxa*. **278** (2): 163–170. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2016Phytx.278..163L](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016Phytx.278..163L). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.11646/phytotaxa.278.2.6](https://doi.org/10.11646%2Fphytotaxa.278.2.6).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Papong_et_al._2014_12-0)** Papong, Khwanruan Butsatorn; Lücking, Robert; Kraichak, Ekaphan; Parnmen, Sittiporn; Von Konrat, Matt; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten (2014). "Twenty-three new species in the lichen family Graphidaceae from New Caledonia (Ostropales, Ascomycota)". *Phytotaxa*. **189** (1): 204–231. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2014Phytx.189..204P](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014Phytx.189..204P). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.11646/phytotaxa.189.1.15](https://doi.org/10.11646%2Fphytotaxa.189.1.15).

Taxon identifiers Astrochapsa Wikidata: Q22107946 Wikispecies: Astrochapsa CoL: 34L4 GBIF: 9503204 IRMNG: 11914665 MycoBank: 807502 NCBI: 1394531 Open Tree of Life: 5221148

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