''Abrothallus halei'' is a species of

lichenicolous fungus A lichenicolous fungus is a parasitic fungus that only lives on lichen as the host. A lichenicolous fungus is not the same as the fungus that is the component of the lichen, which is known as a lichenized fungus. They are most commonly specific to ...

in the family Abrothallaceae. It was formally described as a new species in 2010 by lichenologists Sergio Pérez-Ortega, Ave Suija, David Leslie Hawksworth, and Rolf Santesson. The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

was collected by Cliff Wetmore east of Hare Lake (

Superior National Forest Superior National Forest, part of the United States National Forest system, is located in the Arrowhead Region of the state of Minnesota between the Canada–United States border and the north shore of Lake Superior. The area is part of the grea ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

) at an elevation of ; there it was found on the

foliose Foliose lichen is one of the morphological classes of lichens, which are complex organisms that arise from the symbiotic relationship between fungi and a photosynthetic partner, typically algae. This partnership allows lichen to live in diverse ...

lichen '' Lobaria quercizans'', which itself was growing on the bark of '' Acer saccharum''. The fungus has also been collected in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, as well as in Norway. The species epithet honours American lichenologist Mason Hale.

References

halei Fungi described in 2010 Fungi of Europe Fungi of the United States Taxa named by David Leslie Hawksworth Taxa named by Rolf Santesson Taxa named by Ave Suija {{Dothideomycetes-stub