Chaenotricha

Chaenotricha is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Coniocybaceae. Species live fungicolously, growing on the fruiting bodies of the poroid bracket fungus Trichaptum, and produce tiny, pin-like, dust-sporing fruiting bodies typical of calicioid lichens. The genus was established in 2023 to accommodate a distinct lineage of Trichaptum specialists. These lichens occur on standing dead conifer trunks and snags in boreal and hemiboreal forests of northern Europe and North America. The two described species are distinguished primarily by stalk length and ascospore size, though DNA sequencing is often needed for reliable identification.