The genus Cheiromycina is one of the few genera of lichenized hyphomycetes for which no sexual reproductive stages have been observed. The genus includes species from boreal to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere where it is found growing on bark or wood. Congeners in Cheiromycina are characterized by a noncorticate thallus, nearly immersed in the substrate and presenting powdery unpigmented sporodochia, and containing chlorococcoid photobionts. The relationships of members of Cheiromycina with other fungi are not known. Here we inferred the phylogenetic placement of Cheiromycina using three loci (nuSSU, nuLSU, and mtSSU) representing C. flabelliformis, the type species for the genus, C. petri, and C. reimeri. Our results revealed that the genus Cheiromycina is found within the family Malmideaceae (Lecanorales) where members formed a monophyletic clade sister to the genera Savoronala and Malmidea. This phylogenetic placement and the relationships of Cheiromycina with other lichenized hyphomycetous taxa are here discussed.

b Institute of Environmental Sciences CML Leiden University Einsteinweg 2 2333 CC Leiden The Netherlands

c Department of Natural History University Museum University of Bergen Allegt 41 7800 N 5020 Bergen Norway

Department of Life Sciences University of Trieste via Giorgieri 10 34127 Trieste Italy

Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation University of Gdańsk Wita Stwosza 59 80 308 Gdańsk Poland

e Institute of Botany Academy of Science of Czech Republic Zámek 1 CZ 25243 Průhonice Czech Republic

f Department of Botany Faculty of Natural Sciences Charles University Benátská 2 CZ 12801 Praha Czech Republic

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