Melaspilea

Melaspilea is a genus of fungi in the family Melaspileaceae. The genus includes both lichen-forming species that grow on tree bark and lichenicolous species that parasitise other lichens. Originally, Melaspilea encompassed a broad and diverse group of species, but a 2015 molecular study narrowed its circumscription, showing that many species historically placed in the genus actually belonged to unrelated lineages. In its current sense, Melaspilea belongs to the family Melaspileaceae and order Eremithallales within Dothideomycetes and is characterised by dark fruiting bodies with single-septum spores. The genus has a worldwide distribution but is particularly diverse in tropical regions, with species primarily found growing on the bark of trees and woody plants.