Platythecium hypoleptum

Platythecium hypoleptum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Graphidaceae.

Platythecium hypoleptum
Growing on American holly, in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, USA
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Lecanoromycetes
Order:	Graphidales
Family:	Graphidaceae
Genus:	Platythecium
Species:	P. hypoleptum
Binomial name
Platythecium hypoleptum (Nyl.) M.Nakan. & Kashiw. (2003)
Synonyms[1]
Graphis hypolepta Nyl. (1863) Thalloloma hypoleptum (Nyl.) Staiger (2002)

Taxonomy

The lichen was first formally described as a species new to science in 1863 by Finnish botanist William Nylander, as a member of the genus Graphis. The type specimen was collected in Nova Granada (Brazil), at an altitude of 2,400 m (7,900 ft). Nylander noted some similarity with Graphis homographiza, and also compared it to Graphis dividens (now Phaeographis dividens).^[2] In 2002, Bettina Staiger proposed a transfer to genus Thalloloma, based on a reorganisation of family Graphidaceae that stressed the importance of ascocarps and their accessory organs as characteristics to delimit genera.^[3] A year later, Minoru Nakanishi and Hiroyuki Kashiwadani suggested that the taxon should instead be in genus Platythecium.^[4]