Helocarpon
| Helocarpon | |
|---|---|
| Helocarpon erraticum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Ectolechiaceae |
| Genus: | Helocarpon Th.Fr. (1860) |
| Type species | |
| Helocarpon crassipes Th.Fr. (1860)
| |
| Species | |
|
H. assimilatum | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Helocarpon is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Ectolechiaceae. It contains a small number of crustose species that occur mainly in cool, northern and montane environments, where they grow on soil or rock. The genus is closely related to Micarea, but differs in a suite of morphological traits and is treated as a distinct lineage in modern multilocus classifications. Species in the genus are associated with cool climates and are found mainly in arctic, subarctic, and alpine regions, where they grow on soil or rock. The genus was proposed by Theodor Magnus Fries in 1860, and a major molecular study published in 2026 confirmed it as a distinct lineage separate from Micarea.