Leaf Dot Lichens

Calopadia is a genus of foliicolous (leaf-dwelling) lichens in the family Ectolechiaceae. The genus was established by the Czech lichenologist Antonín Vězda in 1986 and contains around 24 species found primarily in tropical regions. These lichens form thin, pale brownish to greyish crusts on leaf surfaces and produce small brown disc-shaped fruiting bodies. They are distinguished from similar genera by their non-black fruiting structures and characteristic curved or coiled asexual spores. The genus has its greatest diversity in the Neotropics, though species have also been recorded from tropical Africa, Asia, and Australasia.