Melarthonis

Melarthonis is fungal genus in the family Chrysotrichaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Melarthonis piceae, a corticolous lichen. Both the genus and species were described as new to science in 2014 by Andreas Frisch and Göran Thor. The type specimen was collected from Mount Oakan (Kushiro Province, Hokkaido) at an altitude of 420 m; there, it was found growing on the bark of a spruce tree in an old-growth forest. It is only known to occur in the type locality. The genus name alludes to the black ascomata that are similar to those in genus Arthonia, while the species epithet refers to the genus of the host tree (Picea).