# Dichoporis > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dichoporis > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dichoporis.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichoporis > Source revision: 1310504576 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) ***Dichoporis*** is a [genus](/source/Genus) of [lichen](/source/Lichen)-forming [fungi](/source/Fungi) in the family [Strigulaceae](/source/Strigulaceae).[1] It has about 20 species.[2] It was established by American botanist Frederic Clements in 1909, with species growing as thin, often powdery or crust-like films on tree bark and exposed rocks in mostly tropical and subtropical regions. The genus was previously part of the broader genus *[Strigula](/source/Strigula)* until a 2020 revision recognized *Dichoporis* as a distinct [lineage](/source/Lineage_(evolution)), characterized by one-celled [ascospores](/source/Ascospore) that may pinch at the [septum](/source/Septum), [macroconidia](/source/Conidium) with gelatinous tails, and minute branched [paraphyses](/source/Paraphyses) inside the [perithecia](/source/Perithecia). All species form symbiotic relationships with [green algae](/source/Green_algae) of the genus *[Trentpohlia](/source/Trentepohlia_(alga))*, which provides the [photosynthetic](/source/Photosynthesis) component of the lichen. ## Taxonomy *Dichoporis* was established by the American botanist [Frederic Clements](/source/Frederic_Clements) in 1909,[3] with *Dichoporis schizospora*—now treated as *[D. ziziphi](/source/Dichoporis_ziziphi)*—as the [type species](/source/Type_species). In the same [monograph](/source/Monograph) Clements also coined the name *Diporina* for a closely similar assemblage, but the two genera were distinguished only by whether the [ascospores](/source/Ascospore) split in two after leaving the [ascus](/source/Ascus)—a difference now regarded as trivial. Modern authors therefore retain *Dichoporis* as the preferred name and treat *Diporina* as a [synonym](/source/Synonym_(taxonomy)).[4] A 2020 revision removed these species from the broad, catch-all concept of *[Strigula](/source/Strigula)*. The reshuffle recognised two distinct lines of non-leaf-dwelling lichens: *Dichoporis* and the newly erected *[Swinscowia](/source/Swinscowia)*. Species of *Dichoporis* share a characteristic package of features—one-celled (1-septate) ascospores that may pinch or fracture at the [septum](/source/Septum), macro-conidia with long (1–2 [μm](/source/%CE%9Cm)) gelatinous tails, and minute, often branched [paraphyses](/source/Paraphyses) inside the perithecia. Their closest relatives are thought to be the foliicolous genera *[Phylloporis](/source/Phylloporis)* and *[Phyllocratera](/source/Phyllocratera)*, but those partners house a different [green alga](/source/Green_alga) (*[Phycopeltis](/source/Phycopeltis)* rather than *[Trentepohlia](/source/Trentepohlia_(alga))*) and possess unbranched paraphyses, hinting at separate evolutionary histories. Until [molecular](/source/Molecular_phylogenetics) data become available, *Dichoporis* is provisionally placed near the core *Strigula* [clade](/source/Clade) within the family Strigulaceae.[4] Superficially, many *Dichoporis* species resemble members of the crust-forming genus *[Anisomeridium](/source/Anisomeridium)*: both grow on bark or stone, develop black perithecia, and often produce one-septate spores. *Anisomeridium*, however, lacks the gelatinous-tailed conidia typical of *Dichoporis*, and its spores are generally broader and borne in asci that do not show the same two-layered construction. Moreover, the sterile filaments in *Anisomeridium* interweave to form a dense net, whereas those of *Dichoporis* remain comparatively loose. Careful microscopy is therefore essential when assigning specimens to one genus or the other.[4] ## Description Species of *Dichoporis* grow as thin, often powdery or [crust-like](/source/Crustose_lichen) films ([thalli](/source/Thallus)) on tree bark and exposed rocks in mostly [tropical](/source/Tropical) and [subtropical](/source/Subtropical) regions, with only occasional records from [temperate](/source/Temperate) zones. The thallus lacks a protective outer skin (it is ) and ranges in colour from chalk-white to brown. All species partner with a [green alga](/source/Green_alga) of the genus *[Trentepohlia](/source/Trentepohlia_(alga))*, which forms the [photosynthetic](/source/Photosynthesis) part of the lichen.[4] The sexual stage is expressed through [perithecia](/source/Perithecia)—minute, usually black, flask-shaped fruiting bodies that sit flush with the thallus or protrude slightly like tiny warts. Perithecia are typically scattered, though they can crowd together densely, and are composed of (charcoal-like) walls that protect the developing spores. An outer carbonized sheath (the ) is present in most species, while the inner wall (the ) is built from densely packed, pale to brown fungal cells. Thread-like sterile filaments ([paraphyses](/source/Paraphyses)) weave through the spore cavity, branching and sometimes linking to one another. Each spore-bearing sac ([ascus](/source/Ascus)) contains eight colourless [ascospores](/source/Ascospore) and has a two-layered wall that splits open when mature (a , ascus). The spores are smooth, slender to broadly oval, divided by a single thin cross-wall ([septum](/source/Septum)) that often causes them to pinch in slightly—and older spores may break apart along this line.[4] [Asexual reproduction](/source/Asexual_reproduction) is common in *Dichoporis*. Small black pimples in the thallus mark the position of [pycnidia](/source/Pycnidia), chambers that release chains of tiny spores ([conidia](/source/Conidia)). Two conidial sizes occur: larger, one-septate macroconidia, which are rod-shaped and bear narrow, gelatinous tail-like appendages 1–2 μm wide, and much smaller, aseptate microconidia that are spindle-shaped. No characteristic [secondary metabolitee](/source/Secondary_metabolite) ([lichen products](/source/Lichen_product)) have been detected in the genus.[4] ## Species - *[Dichoporis angustata](/source/Dichoporis_angustata)* - *[Dichoporis bermudana](/source/Dichoporis_bermudana)* - *[Dichoporis brevis](/source/Dichoporis_brevis)* - *[Dichoporis connivens](/source/Dichoporis_connivens)* - *[Dichoporis dichosporidii](/source/Dichoporis_dichosporidii)* - *[Dichoporis elixii](/source/Dichoporis_elixii)* - *[Dichoporis fractans](/source/Dichoporis_fractans)* - *[Dichoporis maritima](/source/Dichoporis_maritima)* - *[Dichoporis minor](/source/Dichoporis_minor)* - *[Dichoporis minutula](/source/Dichoporis_minutula)* - *[Dichoporis natalis](/source/Dichoporis_natalis)* - *[Dichoporis nipponica](/source/Dichoporis_nipponica)* - *[Dichoporis occulta](/source/Dichoporis_occulta)* - *[Dichoporis phaea](/source/Dichoporis_phaea)* - *[Dichoporis subprospersella](/source/Dichoporis_subprospersella)* - *[Dichoporis subsimplicans](/source/Dichoporis_subsimplicans)* - *[Dichoporis taylorii](/source/Dichoporis_taylorii)* - *[Dichoporis tenuis](/source/Dichoporis_tenuis)* - *[Dichoporis viridiseda](/source/Dichoporis_viridiseda)* - *[Dichoporis wilsonii](/source/Dichoporis_wilsonii)* - *[Dichoporis ziziphi](/source/Dichoporis_ziziphi)* ## References 1. Hyde, K.D.; Noorabadi, M.T.; Thiyagaraja, V.; He, M.Q.; Johnston, P.R.; Wijesinghe, S.N. et al. (2024). ["The 2024 Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385939154). *Mycosphere*. **15** (1): 5146–6239 [5225]. [doi:10.5943/mycosphere/15/1/25](https://doi.org/10.5943/mycosphere/15/1/25). [hdl:11584/429245](https://hdl.handle.net/11584/429245) 1. Clements, Frederic E. (1909). [*The genera of Fungi*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2892734). Minneapolis: H.W. Wilson Co. pp. 40; 173. 1. Hongsanan, Sinang; Hyde, Kevin D.; Phookamsak, Rungtiwa; Wanasinghe, Dhanushka N.; McKenzie, Eric H. C.; Sarma, V. Venkateswara et al. (2020). "Refined families of Dothideomycetes: orders and families incertae sedis in Dothideomycetes". *Fungal Diversity*. **105** (1): 17–318. [doi:10.1007/s13225-020-00462-6](https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-020-00462-6) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dichoporis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichoporis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichoporis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.