{{Short description|Genus of lichens}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Endocarpon petrolepideum-3.jpg | image_caption =''Endocarpon petrolepideum'' | taxon = Endocarpon | authority = Hedw. (1789) | type_species = ''Endocarpon pusillum'' | type_species_authority = Hedw. (1789) | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms_ref = <ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy"/> | synonyms = {{Collapsible list|bullets=on |''Endopyreniomyces'' {{au|E.A.Thomas (1939)}} |''Leightonia'' {{au|Trevis. (1853)}} |''Paracarpidium'' {{au|Müll.Arg. (1883)}} |''Phalostauris'' {{au|Clem. (1909)}} |''Pyrenothamnia'' {{au|Tuck. (1883)}} |''Pyrenothamniomyces'' {{au|Cif. & Tomas. (1953)}} |''Rhodocarpon'' {{au|Lönnr. (1858)}} }} }}
'''''Endocarpon''''' is a genus of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), squamulose lichens in the family Verrucariaceae.<ref name="Wijayawardene et al. 2022"/> It comprises 23 species. The genus is characterised by its enclosed fruiting bodies (perithecia) embedded within the scales and its compartmentalised spores. Species in this genus typically grow on rocks, often in areas that experience periodic moisture.
==Taxonomy==
The German bryologist Johann Hedwig introduced the genus ''Endocarpon'' in 1789 for a minute, terrestrial lichen he called ''Endocarpon pusillum'', providing a Latin {{lichengloss|diagnosis}} and an illustrated plate. He described a flat, very small thallus, deep green and finely black-dotted, becoming paler from above, with very delicate, simple root-like attachments. The analytic notes and key to the plate emphasise internal reproductive bodies: {{lichengloss|clavate}}, very thin-walled asci embedded in the thallus and without paraphyses, each containing two oval spores that are pale and only slightly brownish. The explanation to the plate includes a perpendicular section of the thallus to show the enclosed ascus, together with details of isolated asci and released spores. Hedwig recorded the species as a soil-growing lichen, found on earthen clods and observed around Leipzig. In a brief remark he compared the plants "fructification" with that of the liverwort genus ''Riccia''.<ref name="Hedwig 1789"/>
==Description==
Lichens in the genus ''Endocarpon'' have a {{lichengloss|squamulose}} thallus, meaning their body is made up of small, scale-like lobes. These lobes typically lie flat against the surface they grow on but can sometimes be slightly raised. In rare cases, the thallus may take on a more leaf-like (subfoliose) form. The outer layer of the lichen, the {{lichengloss|cortex}}, is composed of roughly spherical cells. Beneath this, the inner tissue (medulla) may contain similar cells or more elongated ones. Unlike some lichens, ''Endocarpon'' species often lack a distinct lower cortex, though they may have a loosely arranged layer of rounded or angular cells. Many species produce rhizines—small, root-like structures that help anchor the lichen to its {{lichengloss|substrate}}.<ref name="Orange et al. 2023"/> thumb|left|Two muriform spores in an ascus from ''E. petrolepideum''; x1000 magnification The lichen's photosynthetic partner is ''Diplosphaera'', a type of green alga in the Trebouxiophyceae. This alga is found not only within the thallus but also within the reproductive structures, often forming column-like arrangements inside the lichen's body.<ref name="Orange et al. 2023"/>
''Endocarpon'' lichens reproduce through small, rounded fruiting bodies called perithecia, which are embedded within the thallus. These structures have a tiny pore (ostiole) at the top, which allows spores to be released. The outer layer of the perithecia ({{lichengloss|exciple}}) is dark in colour throughout, and unlike some related lichens, ''Endocarpon'' lacks an outer protective layer called an {{lichengloss|involucrellum}}. Inside, the spore-producing tissue (hymenium) reacts with iodine-based stains, turning reddish or bluish with iodine (I+) and blue with potassium iodide (K/I+). Unlike many lichens, the reproductive structures do not contain paraphyses (sterile filaments), but they do have numerous {{lichengloss|periphyses}}—small hair-like structures lining the opening of the perithecia.<ref name="Orange et al. 2023"/>
The spores of ''Endocarpon'' are typically produced in groups of one or two per ascus (though occasionally up to four). They are enclosed in a thick-walled, sac-like structure (ascus) that splits open to release them. The spores themselves are {{lichengloss|muriform}}, meaning they are divided into multiple compartments by internal walls (septa), and they can be colourless, yellowish-brown, or dark brown. In addition to sexual reproduction, ''Endocarpon'' can also produce asexual spores (conidia) within specialised structures called pycnidia, which are also embedded in the thallus. These conidia are tiny, rod-shaped, colourless, and lack internal divisions. Chemically, ''Endocarpon'' does not produce any secondary metabolites detectable through thin-layer chromatography.<ref name="Orange et al. 2023"/>
==Species== {{As of|2025|February}}, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accept 23 species of ''Endocarpon''.<ref name="CoL"/> thumb|''Endocarpon pusillum'' * ''Endocarpon adscendens'' {{au|(Anzi) Müll.Arg. (1881)}} * ''Endocarpon aridum'' {{au|P.M.McCarthy (1991)}}<ref name="McCarthy 1991"/> – Australia * ''Endocarpon baicalense'' {{au|Makryĭ (2008)}} * ''Endocarpon crassisporum'' {{au|P.M.McCarthy & Filson (1991)}}<ref name="McCarthy 1991"/> – Australia * ''Endocarpon crystallinum'' {{au|J.C.Wei & Jun Yang (2009)}}<ref name="Yang & Wei 2008"/> – China * ''Endocarpon deserticola'' {{au|T.Zhang, X.L.Wei & J.C.Wei (2017)}}<ref name="Zhang et al. 2017"/> – China * ''Endocarpon helmsianum'' {{au|Müll.Arg. (1892)}}<ref name="Müller 1892"/> * ''Endocarpon macrosporum'' {{au|P.M.McCarthy (1991)}}<ref name="McCarthy 1991"/> – Australia * ''Endocarpon maritimum'' {{au|Y.Joshi & Hur (2013)}}<ref name="Joshi & Hur 2013"/> – South Korea * ''Endocarpon muelleri'' {{au|M.Choisy (1954)}} * ''Endocarpon myeloxanthum'' {{au|Breuss (2000)}}<ref name="Breuss 2000"/> – Mexico * ''Endocarpon pallidulum'' {{au|(Nyl.) Nyl. (1892)}} * ''Endocarpon pallidum'' {{au|Ach. (1810)}}<ref name="Acharius 1810"/> * ''Endocarpon pseudosubnitescens'' {{au|Breuss (2002)}}<ref name="Breuss 2002"/> – Mexico * ''Endocarpon pusillum'' {{au|Hedw. (1789)}}<ref name="Hedwig 1789"/> * ''Endocarpon riparium'' {{au|Aptroot & M.Cáceres (2016)}}<ref name="Cáceres & Aptroot 2016"/> – Brazil * ''Endocarpon robustum'' {{au|P.M.McCarthy (1991)}}<ref name="McCarthy 1991"/> – Australia * ''Endocarpon rogersii'' {{au|P.M.McCarthy (1991)}}<ref name="McCarthy 1991"/> – Australia * ''Endocarpon simplicatum'' {{au|(Nyl.) Nyl. (1888)}} * ''Endocarpon subramulosum'' {{au|Y.Joshi & Hur (2013)}}<ref name="Joshi & Hur 2014"/> – South Korea * ''Endocarpon tenuissimum'' {{au|(Degel.) Lendemer & E.A.Tripp (2013)}}<ref name="Lendemer et al. 2013"/> * ''Endocarpon unifoliatum'' {{au|T.Zhang, X.L.Wei & J.C.Wei (2017)}}<ref name="Zhang et al. 2017"/> – China * ''Endocarpon zschackei'' {{au|M.Choisy (1954)}}
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<ref name="Breuss 2000">{{cite journal |last1=Breuss |first1=O. |year=2000 |title=Eine ungewöhnliche ''Endocarpon''-Art (Lichensierte Ascomyceten, Verrucariales) aus Mexiko |journal=Österreichische Zeitschrift für Pilzkunde |volume=9 |pages=147–149}}</ref>
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<ref name="CoL">{{Catalogue of Life |id=4BLN |title=''Endocarpon'' |access-date=8 February 2025}}</ref>
<ref name="Hedwig 1789">{{cite book |last=Hedwig |first=J. |year=1789 |title=Descriptio et adumbratio microscopico-analytica muscorum frondosorum |volume=2 |page=56 |language=la}}</ref>
<ref name="Joshi & Hur 2013">{{cite journal |last1=Joshi |first1=Y. |last2=Hur |first2=J.-S. |year=2013 |title=''Endocarpon maritima'' sp. nov. (lichenized Ascomycota) from the maritime region of South Korea |journal=Mycotaxon |volume=123 |pages=163–167|doi=10.5248/123.163 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
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<ref name="Species Fungorum synonymy">{{cite web |title=Synonymy. Current Name: ''Endocarpon'' Hedw., Descr. micr.-anal. musc. frond. (Lipsiae) 2: 56 (1789) |url=http://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/SynSpecies.asp?RecordID=1789 |publisher=Species Fungorum |access-date=9 July 2022}}</ref>
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}}
{{Taxonbar |from1=Q5376227 |from2=Q76436688 }}
Category:Verrucariales Category:Eurotiomycetes genera Category:Lichen genera Category:Taxa named by Johann Hedwig Category:Taxa described in 1789