Species
Chaenotheca olivaceorufa
Chaenotheca olivaceorufa. Photo: (c) Eric Peterson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Chaenotheca is a genus of lichenized fungi within the family Coniocybaceae. The sexual reproduction structures are a mass of loose ascospores that are enclosed by a cup shaped exciple sitting on top of a tiny stalk, having the appearance of a dressmaker’s pin (called a mazaedium), hence the common name pin lichen.:15 Genus members are also commonly called needle lichens.