Astrothelium unisporum
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| Astrothelium unisporum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Order: | Trypetheliales |
| Family: | Trypetheliaceae |
| Genus: | Astrothelium |
| Species: | A. unisporum |
| Binomial name | |
| Astrothelium unisporum Aptroot & M.Cáceres (2016) | |
 Holotype: Ramal do Rio Preto, Brazil | |
Astrothelium unisporum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae.[1] This lichen was discovered in the Brazilian Amazon, where it grows on tree bark in savanna areas. It is one of only two known species in its large family that produces just one spore per spore-containing structure, rather than the typical eight spores.
Astrothelium unisporum was described as new to science in 2016 by André Aptroot and Marcela da Silva Cáceres from material collected in Amapá, northern Brazil. The holotype was gathered on tree bark in savanna vegetation near the Maracá Extractive Reserve (municipality of Mazagão, Amapá). The specific epithet refers to its unusual asci that contain a single ascospore, a rare condition in this family. Within the family Trypetheliaceae it is one of only two species known with one spore per ascus; the other, Astrothelium nicaraguense, has larger spores.[2]