Cornicularia
Encyclopedia
Cornicularia is a genus
of lichen
ised ascomycetes in the large family Parmeliaceae
. It is a monotypic
genus, with only one currently accepted species
: Cornicularia normoerica. This species has an erect caespitose growth form, and is sometimes referred to as the brittle lichen.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
ised ascomycetes in the large family Parmeliaceae
Parmeliaceae
The Parmeliaceae is a large and diverse family of Lecanoromycetes. With over 2000 species in roughly 87 genera, it is currently regarded as the largest family of lichen forming fungi...
. It is a monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus, with only one currently accepted species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
: Cornicularia normoerica. This species has an erect caespitose growth form, and is sometimes referred to as the brittle lichen.