# Sarcographa

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Genus of lichen-forming fungi

Sarcographa Sarcographa labyrinthica Scientific classification Kingdom: Fungi Division: Ascomycota Class: Lecanoromycetes Order: Graphidales Family: Graphidaceae Genus: Sarcographa Fée (1825) Type species Sarcographa cinchonarum Fée (1825) Synonyms[1] Actinoglyphis Mont. (1856) Asterisca G.Mey. (1825) Flegographa A.Massal. (1860) Medusula Eschw. (1824) Sarcographomyces Cif. & Tomas. (1953)

***Sarcographa*** is a [genus](/source/Genus) of [lichen](/source/Lichen)-forming [fungi](/source/Fungi) in the family [Graphidaceae](/source/Graphidaceae).[2][3] Established in 1825 by the French botanist [Antoine Laurent Apollinaire Fée](/source/Antoine_Laurent_Apollinaire_F%C3%A9e), the genus contains 22 species that are recognised by their distinctive star-shaped colonies of radiating, script-like fruiting structures with black borders. These [bark-dwelling lichens](/source/Corticolous_lichen) are found in humid [tropical](/source/Tropical) and warm [temperate](/source/Temperate) forests worldwide and serve as [indicators](/source/Bioindicator) of [undisturbed](/source/Disturbance_(ecology)) woodland, as they quickly decline when forest [canopy](/source/Canopy_(botany)) is opened or disturbed.

## Taxonomy

The genus was [circumscribed](/source/Circumscription_(taxonomy)) by the French botanist [Antoine Laurent Apollinaire Fée](/source/Antoine_Laurent_Apollinaire_F%C3%A9e) in 1825. In his original description, Fée characterised the genus by its labyrinthine [fruiting bodies](/source/Fruiting_bodies) ([lirellae](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#lirellae)) that are sunken into a fleshy support structure, with the disc initially covered by a powdery substance ([pruina](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#pruina)) and containing an elongated, branched nucleus with irregular striations. He initially described three species: *[S. cinchonarium](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_cinchonarium&action=edit&redlink=1)* (the [type species](/source/Type_species)) from the bark of [cinchona](/source/Cinchona) trees, *[S. tigrina](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_tigrina&action=edit&redlink=1)* with its yellowish, thick, and uneven thallus, and *[S. cascarillae](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_cascarillae&action=edit&redlink=1)* distinguished by its pale yellowish, membranous, thick, and somewhat uneven [thallus](/source/Thallus). Fée noted that the lirellae are partially embedded in a fleshy, whitish, rather thick support structure that serves as a kind of universal receptacle, and emphasised that this support structure often becomes bifurcated at the extremities of the lirellae.[4]

## Description

*Sarcographa* develops a thin, chalk-white to pale grey crust ([thallus](/source/Thallus)) that sits flush with the bark and lacks a true [cortex](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#cortex). Its most conspicuous feature is a star-shaped colony of radiating [lirellae](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#lirellae): each slit is 0.5–3 mm long, commonly curved, and bordered by a completely [carbonised](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#carbonised) (blackened) rim that makes the pattern stand out black against the thallus. A colourless to pale brown [excipulum](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#excipulum) lines the interior, while the [hymenium](/source/Hymenium) is usually clear and non-[inspersed](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#inspersed). The *[Graphis](/source/Graphis_(lichen))*-type [asci](/source/Ascus) contain eight [hyaline](/source/Hyaline) (colourless and translucent) [ascospores](/source/Ascospore) that become prominently [muriform](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#muriform)—divided by numerous transverse and a few longitudinal [septa](/source/Septum)—remain iodine-negative (I–) and typically measure 30–70 × 8–16 [μm](/source/%CE%9Cm). Chemically, most species produce [stictic acid](/source/Stictic_acid) or [norstictic acid](/source/Norstictic_acid) (occasionally together with trace [protocetraric](/source/Protocetraric_acid)-series [depsidones](/source/Depsidone)) which can impart a yellow-brown tinge to the disc surface.[5]

The [rosette](/source/Rosette_(botany)) of radiating lirellae, together with the fully carbonised margins and large I– muriform spores, separates *Sarcographa* from superficially similar [script lichens](/source/Script_lichen). In *Graphis* and *[Glyphis](/source/Glyphis_(lichen))* the lirellae are scattered rather than arranged in a star-burst; *[Redingeria](/source/Redingeria)* and *[Reimnitzia](/source/Reimnitzia)* share black rims but lack the distinctive radial pattern; whereas *[Kalbographa](/source/Kalbographa)* differs by its bright orange anthraquinone [epithecium](/source/Glossary_of_lichen_terms#epithecium). A closely allied genus, *[Sarcographina](/source/Sarcographina)*, also forms rosettes, but its smaller spores react I+ (violet) and the hymenium is densely inspersed—features absent from *Sarcographa*.[5]

## Ecology

*Sarcographa* has a [pantropical](/source/Pantropical) to warm-[temperate](/source/Temperate) distribution. All known species are [corticolous](/source/Corticolous_lichen), favouring smooth, shaded bark in humid evergreen forests from lowland Amazonia and West-Central Africa to Southeast Asia, northern Australia and the [Gulf](/source/Gulf_Coast_of_the_United_States)–[Atlantic Coastal Plain](/source/East_Coast_of_the_United_States) of North America. Several species (e.g., *S. colombiana*) also colonise [mangrove](/source/Mangrove) stems just above the high-tide mark, displaying a tolerance of intermittent [salt spray](/source/Salt_spray). Because the genus declines quickly after [canopy](/source/Canopy_(botany)) opening or repeated burning, its presence is a useful field [indicator](/source/Bioindicator) of long-standing, moisture-rich [woodland](/source/Woodland) habitat.[5]

## Species

As of June 2025[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa&action=edit), [Species Fungorum](/source/Species_Fungorum) (in the [Catalogue of Life](/source/Catalogue_of_Life)) accepts 22 species of *Sarcographa*.[2]

- *[Sarcographa astroidea](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_astroidea&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Vain.) Lücking (2019)

- *[Sarcographa atlantica](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_atlantica&action=edit&redlink=1)* E.L.Lima & Lücking (2019)[6]

- *[Sarcographa cinchonarum](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_cinchonarum&action=edit&redlink=1)* Fée (1825)

- *[Sarcographa colliculosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_colliculosa&action=edit&redlink=1)* (C.Knight) Zahlbr. (1923)

- *[Sarcographa dendroides](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_dendroides&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Leight.) Luch & Lücking (2018)

- *[Sarcographa fenicis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_fenicis&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Vain.) Zahlbr. (1923)

- *[Sarcographa fissurinoides](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_fissurinoides&action=edit&redlink=1)* M.Cáceres & Lücking (2007)

- *[Sarcographa glyphiza](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_glyphiza&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Nyl.) Kr.P.Singh & G.P.Sinha (2010)

- *[Sarcographa heteroclita](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_heteroclita&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Mont.) Zahlbr. (1911)

- *[Sarcographa intricans](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_intricans&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Nyl.) Müll.Arg. (1887)

- *[Sarcographa kirtoniana](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_kirtoniana&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Müll.Arg.) Müll.Arg. (1887)

- *[Sarcographa labyrinthica](/source/Sarcographa_labyrinthica)* (Ach.) Müll.Arg. (1887)

- *[Sarcographa macrohydrina](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_macrohydrina&action=edit&redlink=1)* M.Nakan., Kashiw. & K.H.Moon (2002)[7]

- *[Sarcographa maculata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_maculata&action=edit&redlink=1)* (A.W.Archer) Aptroot & Sparrius (2004)

- *[Sarcographa medusulina](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_medusulina&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Nyl.) Müll.Arg. (1887)

- *[Sarcographa megistocarpa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_megistocarpa&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Leight.) M.Cáceres & Lücking (2012)

- *[Sarcographa nagalandica](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_nagalandica&action=edit&redlink=1)* Kr.P.Singh & G.P.Sinha (2015)

- *[Sarcographa oculata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_oculata&action=edit&redlink=1)* Müll.Arg. (1895)

- *[Sarcographa praslinensis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_praslinensis&action=edit&redlink=1)* Lücking & Diederich (2017)[8]

- *[Sarcographa ramificans](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_ramificans&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Kremp.) Staiger (2002)

- *[Sarcographa subglobosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_subglobosa&action=edit&redlink=1)* Lücking & Diederich (2017)[8]

- *[Sarcographa subtricosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_subtricosa&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Leight.) Müll.Arg. (1887)

- *[Sarcographa verrucosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcographa_verrucosa&action=edit&redlink=1)* (Vain.) Zahlbr. (1923)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Species_Fungorum_synonymy_1-0)** ["Synonymy. Current Name: *Sarcographa* Fée, Essai Crypt. Exot. (Paris): XXXV, XC, 58 (1825) \[1824\]"](https://www.speciesfungorum.org/Names/SynSpecies.asp?RecordID=4847). [Species Fungorum](/source/Species_Fungorum). Retrieved 29 August 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CoL_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CoL_2-1) ["*Sarcographa*"](https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/7CF9). *[Catalogue of Life](/source/Catalogue_of_Life)*. [Species 2000](/source/Species_2000): Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 29 August 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Wijayawardene_et_al._2022_3-0)** Wijayawardene, N.N.; Hyde, K.D.; Dai, D.Q.; Sánchez-García, M.; Goto, B.T.; Saxena, R.K.; et al. (2022). ["Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa – 2021"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358798332). *Mycosphere*. **13** (1): 53–453. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5943/mycosphere/13/1/2](https://doi.org/10.5943%2Fmycosphere%2F13%2F1%2F2). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[10481/76378](https://hdl.handle.net/10481%2F76378).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Fée_1825_4-0)** Fée, A.L.A. (1825). [*Essai sur les cryptogames des écorces exotiques officinales*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48999614) (in French). p. 58.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Lücking_&_Rivas_Plata_2008_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Lücking_&_Rivas_Plata_2008_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Lücking_&_Rivas_Plata_2008_5-2) Lücking, Robert; Rivas Plata, Eimy (2008). ["Clave y guía ilustrada para géneros de Graphidaceae"](https://archive.org/details/2008_Glalia_1_1) [Key and illustrated guide to genera of Graphidaceae]. *GLALIA* (in Spanish). **1** (1): 1–39.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Lima_et_al._2019_6-0)** de Lima, Edvaneide Leandro; Maia, Leonor Costa; Barroso Martins, Mônica Cristina; da Silva, Nicácio Lima; Lücking, Robert; da Silva Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia (2019). "Five new species of Graphidaceae from the Brazilian Northeast, with notes on *Diorygma alagoense*". *The Bryologist*. **122** (3): 414–422. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1639/0007-2745-122.3.414](https://doi.org/10.1639%2F0007-2745-122.3.414).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Nakanishi_et_al._2001_7-0)** Nakanishi, M.; Kashiwadani, H.; Moon, K.H. (2001). "New species of *Graphis*, *Phaeographina* and *Sarcographa* (Ascomycotina, Graphidaceae) from Vanuatu". *Bulletin of the National Science Museum Tokyo*. **28** (4): 107–111.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Diederich_et_al._2017_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Diederich_et_al._2017_8-1) Diederich, Paul; Lücking, Robert; Aptroot, André; Sipman, Harrie J.M.; Braun, Uwe; Ahti, Teuvo; Ertz, Damien (2017). "New species and new records of lichens and lichenicolous fungi from the Seychelles". *Herzogia*. **30** (1): 182–236. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2017Herz...30..182D](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017Herz...30..182D). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.13158/heia.30.1.2017.182](https://doi.org/10.13158%2Fheia.30.1.2017.182).

Taxon identifiers Sarcographa Wikidata: Q7423591 Wikispecies: Sarcographa AusLichen: 30019806 CoL: 7CF9 EoL: 22816 GBIF: 2603088 iNaturalist: 175034 IndexFungorum: 4847 IRMNG: 1029112 MycoBank: 4847 NCBI: 377369 NZOR: c99eea17-7fab-4d69-984c-f5d6adf16f6b Open Tree of Life: 957756 PLANTS: SARCO6 SpeciesFungorum: 4847 Flegographa Wikidata: Q107289249 CoL: 4KF5 GBIF: 7249721 IndexFungorum: 1999 IRMNG: 1088832 MycoBank: 1999 SpeciesFungorum: 1999

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sarcographa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcographa) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcographa?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.