Atrophysma
genus of fungi
Atrophysma is a fungal genus in the family Pannariaceae. It contains the single species Atrophysma cyanomelanos, a crustose lichen found only in Alaska.
Taxonomy
Both the genus and species were described as new to science in 2020 by lichenologist Toby Spribille. The type specimen was discovered in Glacier Bay National Park, where it was found growing on argillite rock on the top of an alpine ridge; this location is typically covered by snow for most of the year. The generic name Atrophysma combines atra ("black") and physma ("to blow up or distend"); the specific epithet, which combines kyanos ("blue") and melas ("black"), alludes to the typical colors of the thallus and ascomata.
The lichen had been discovered previously in a nearby location, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, as part of a similar lichen research survey in that area. It had been tentatively assigned to the genus Santessoniella, but not formally described as a new species. The material found at Glacier Bay National Park was more substantive, allowing for a fuller characterization of the species, as well as molecular phylogenetic analysis. This showed that the lichen belonged to a distinct clade among other members of the Pannariaceae, and so Atrophysma was proposed to contain it.
Description
Atrophysma cyanomelanos is a cyanolichen, meaning that it has cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) as a photobiont partner.
“Atrophysma” enters the record as genus of fungi. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Atrophysma, genus and fungi can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Atrophysma” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Atrophysma, genus and fungi provides the most credible route into that argument.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 6, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q108628475. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2020.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Atrophysma” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.