Lepraria
genus of fungi
Lepraria is a genus of leprose (powdery) crustose lichens that grows on its substrate like patches of granular, caked up, mealy dust grains. Members of the genus are commonly called dust lichens. The main vegetative body (thallus) is made of patches of soredia (little balls of algae wrapped in fungus). Sexual structures have not been observed in Lepraria, but genomic evidence indicates that the genus retains mating type and meiosis-associated genes, raising the possibility of cryptic sexual or parasexual recombination. Some species can form marginal lobes and appear squamulose. Because of the morphological simplicity of the thallus and the absence of sexual structures, the composition of lichen products (i.e., secondary metabolites made by lichens) are important characters to distinguish between similar species in Lepraria.
Taxonomy
Lepraria was circumscribed in 1803 by Swedish lichenologist Erik Acharius. Jack Laundon assigned Lepraria incana as the type species of the genus in 1992. It is in the family Stereocaulaceae.
The taxonomy of Lepraria has undergone significant changes as new research methods have become available.
“Lepraria” enters the record as genus of fungi. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Lepraria, genus and fungi can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Lepraria” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Lepraria, 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 Dec 29, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q6527811. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1803 and 1992.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. 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 “Lepraria” 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.