Phaeographis Explained

Phaeographis is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has an estimated 180 species.

Taxonomy

The genus Phaeographis was circumscribed by the Swiss lichenologist Johannes Müller Argoviensis in 1882. However, its taxonomic status was uncertain for many years due to the existence of several earlier generic names that potentially had priority.

In 2007, Robert Lücking and colleagues proposed to conserve the name Phaeographis against six earlier names: Creographa, Ectographis, Flegographa, Hymenodecton, Platygramma, and Pyrographa. They also proposed to conserve Phaeographis dendritica as the type species. This proposal was made to maintain nomenclatural stability, as Phaeographis had become a widely used name representing about 150 species.

The proposal was based on a revised generic concept of Graphidaceae presented by the German lichenologist Bettina Staiger, which for the first time provided a detailed analysis of the taxonomic relationships between genera in the family, using both morphological and molecular data.

In 2010, the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi reviewed the proposal and recommended its acceptance with a strong majority (85.7% in favour). This recommendation effectively conserved the name Phaeographis with P. dendritica as its type species, securing its taxonomic status and preventing the need to transfer numerous species to other genera. This conservation was particularly important because Phaeographis represents the second largest genus in the family Graphidaceae, containing approximately 150 species. The conservation of the name is expected to maintain stability in the taxonomy of this significant group of lichens.

Species

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