# Cora (fungus)

Cora is a large genus of basidiolichens in the family Hygrophoraceae. Modern molecular phylogenetics research has revealed a rich biodiversity in this largely tropical genus.

## Taxonomy

Cora was originally circumscribed by the Swedish "Father of Mycology", Elias Magnus Fries, in 1825. He included a single species, until then known as Thelephora pavonia Weber & D.Mohr. Until relatively recently, Cora was thought to contain one species, or was placed into synonymy with Dictyonema. Cora was recognized as an independent genus separate from Dictyonema in 2013.
Molecular phylogenetic analysis using DNA barcoding of the internal transcribed spacer region has improved the understanding of the diversity of Cora. In 2016, a landmark study identified and formally described 70 new species, bringing the total number of recognised Cora species to 189. This represented a dramatic increase from the single species recognized until about a decade prior. The study employed a "turbo-taxonomy" approach, combining international collaboration, rigorous quantitative phylogenetic methods, and standardised protocols for phenotype description to efficiently describe and catalog the new species. Cora species can be distinguished by a combination of morphological, anatomical, and ecogeographical features. This work established Cora as one of the most species-rich lichen genera, with estimates suggesting the existence of almost 200 species, and about 450 species predicted to exist.
Studies using the PhyloKey tool, which employs a technique called morphology-based phylogenetic binning, have help to elucidate the diversity within Cora. Phylogenetic binning involves mapping morphological characters onto a molecular reference tree and calculating weights for their consistency. This approach has confirmed the identification of species with high accuracy even with incomplete character data, revealing numerous previously unrecognized species. PhyloKey has also facilitated the restudy of herbarium samples, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the genus's diversity and aiding in the discovery of new species.

## Habitat and distribution

Mexico and (at least formerly) Florida are the northernmost distribution points for the genus Cora, while its southernmost locale is southern Chile. It has its highest biodiversity in the northern Andes. Biogeographic data suggests that Cora originated in South America and expanded eastward. The vast majority (95%) of the known species are found in the Americas, but the genus has also been recorded from tropical Africa, tropical Asia, and South Atlantic islands. Twelve species and subspecies have been described from Mexico; the only species known to have occurred north of Mexico is the possibly extinct Cora timucua, which is known to have formerly existed in Florida.

## Species

As of May 2024, Species Fungorum (in the Catalogue of Life) accepts 98 species in genus Cora.
* Cora accipiter Moncada, Madriñán & Lücking (2016) – northern Andes, South America
* Cora applanata Moncada, Soto-Medina & Lücking (2016) – northern Andes, South America
* Cora arachnodavidea Moncada, Dal-Forno & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora arachnoidea J.E.Hern. & Lücking (2013) – northern Andes; Costa Rican Cordilleras
* Cora arborescens Dal-Forno, Chaves & Lücking (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora arcabucana Moncada, C.Rodríguez & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora aspera Wilk, Lücking & E.Morales (2013) – Costa Rica; Colombia; Ecuador; Bolivia; Peru
* Cora aturucoa Lücking, Moncada & C.Vargas (2016) – Colombia
* Cora auriculeslia Moncada, Yánez-Ayabaca & Lücking (2016) – Ecuador
* Cora barbifera Moncada, Patiño & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora barbulata Lücking, Dal-Forno & Lawrey (2015)
* Cora benitoana Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2019) – Oaxaca, Mexico
* Cora boleslia Lücking, E.Morales & Dal-Forno (2016) – central Andes, Bolivia
* Cora buapana Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2019) – Oaxaca, Mexico
* Cora byssoidea Lücking & Moncada (2013) – Colombia
* Cora caliginosa Holgado, Rivas Plata & Perlmutter (2016) – Peru
* Cora campestris Dal-Forno, Eliasaro & A.A.Spielm. (2016) – Brazil
* Cora canari Nugra, Dal-Forno & Lücking (2016) – Ecuador
* Cora caraana Lücking, S.M.Martins & Lucheta (2016) – Brazil
* Cora casanarensis L.Y.Vargas, Moncada & Lücking (2014) – Colombia
* Cora casasolana Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2016) – Oaxaca, Mexico
* Cora caucensis Moncada, M.C.Gut. & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora celestinoa Moncada, Cabr.-Amaya & Lücking (2016) – Colombian Andes
* Cora ciferrii (Tomas.) Lücking, A.Grall & Thüs (2014)
* Cora comaltepeca Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Herrera-Camp. (2016) – Oaxaca, Mexico
* Cora corani Lücking, E.Morales & Dal-Forno (2016) – Bolivia
* Cora corelleslia Moncada, Suár.-Corr. & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora crispoleslia Moncada, J.A.Molina & Lücking (2016) – northern Andes (Colombia, Ecuador)
* Cora cuzcoensis Holgado, Rivas Plata & Perlmutter (2016) – Peru
* Cora cyphellifera Dal-Forno, Bungartz & Lücking (2013) – Ecuador
* Cora dalehana Moncada, Madriñán & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora davibogotana Lücking, Moncada & Coca (2016) – Colombia
* Cora davicrinita Moncada, Madriñán & Lücking (2016) – northern Andes (Colombia, Ecuador)
* Cora davidia Moncada, L.Y.Vargas & Lücking (2016) – northern Andes (Colombia and Ecuador)
* Cora dewisanti Moncada, Suár.-Corr. & Lücking (2016) – northern Andes (Venezuela to Ecuador)
* Cora dulcis Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2016) – Oaxaca, Mexico
* Cora elephas Lücking, Moncada & L.Y.Vargas (2016) – Colombia; Ecuador
* Cora fimbriata L.Y.Vargas, Moncada & Lücking (2014) – Colombia
* Cora fuscodavidiana Lücking, Moncada & L.Y.Vargas (2016) – Colombia
* Cora galapagoensis Dal-Forno, Bungartz & Lücking (2017) – Galapagos Islands
* Cora garagoa Simijaca, Moncada & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora gigantea Lücking, Moncada & Coca (2016) – Colombia
* Cora glabrata (Spreng.) Fr. (1838)
* Cora gomeziana Dal-Forno, Chaves & Lücking (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora guajalitensis Lücking, Robayo & Dal-Forno (2016) – Ecuador
* Cora guzmaniana Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2019) – Oaxaca, Mexico
* Cora hafecesweorthensis Moncada, Lücking & R.-E.Peláez (2016) – Colombia
* Cora haledana Dal-Forno, Chaves & Lücking (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora hawksworthiana Dal-Forno, P.R.Nelson & Lücking (2016) – Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica
* Cora hirsuta (Moncada & Lücking) Moncada & Lücking (2013)
* Cora hochesuordensis Lücking, E.Morales & Dal-Forno (2016) – Bolivia
* Cora hymenocarpa Lücking, Chaves & Lawrey (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora imi Lücking, Chaves & Lawrey (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora inversa Lücking & Moncada (2013) – Colombia
* Cora itabaiana Dal-Forno, Aptroot & M.Cáceres (2016) – Brazil
* Cora ixtlanensis Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2019) – Oaxaca, Mexico
* Cora lawreyana Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2019) – Veracruz, Mexico
* Cora leslactuca Lücking, Moncada & R.-E.Peláez (2016) – Colombia
* Cora marusae Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2019) – Oaxaca, Mexico
* Cora maxima Wilk, Dal-Forno & Lücking (2016) – Bolivia
* Cora minor (Lücking, E.Navarro & Sipman) Lücking (2013)
* Cora minutula Lücking, Moncada & Yánez-Ayabaca (2016) – Ecuador
* Cora palaeotropica Weerakoon, Aptroot & Lücking (2016) – Sri Lanka
* Cora palustris Dal-Forno, Chaves & Lücking (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora parabovei Dal-Forno, Kukwa & Lücking (2016) – Bolivia
* Cora paraciferrii Lücking, Moncada & J.E.Hern. (2016) – northern Andes (Colombia and Venezuela)
* Cora paraminor Dal-Forno, Chaves & Lücking (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora pastorum Moncada, Patiño & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora pavonia (Weber & D.Mohr) Fr. (1838)
* Cora pichinchensis Paredes, Jonitz & Dal-Forno (2016) – Ecuadorian Andes
* Cora pikynasa J.-M.Torres, Moncada & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora pseudobovei Wilk, Dal-Forno & Lücking (2016) – Bolivia
* Cora pseudocorani Lücking, E.Morales & Dal-Forno (2016) – Bolivia
* Cora putumayensis L.J.Arias, Moncada & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora quillacinga Moncada, F.Ortega & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora rothesiorum Moncada, Madriñán & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora rubrosanguinea Nugra, Moncada & Lücking (2016) – Ecuador
* Cora sanctae-helenae Lücking (2015) – Saint Helena
* Cora santacruzensis Dal-Forno, Bungartz & Yánez-Ayabaca (2016) – Galapagos, Ecuador
* Cora schizophylloides Moncada, C.Rodríguez & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora setosa L.Y.Vargas, Moncada & Lücking (2014) – Colombia
* Cora smaragdina Lücking, Rivas Plata & Chaves (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora soredavidia Dal-Forno, Marcelli & Lücking (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora squamiformis Wilk, Lücking & Yánez-Ayabaca (2013) – Ecuadorian and Bolivian high Andes
* Cora strigosa Lücking, E.Paz & L.Salcedo (2013) – Peru
* Cora subdavicrinita Moncada, J.A. Molina & Lücking (2016) – northern Andes (Colombia, Ecuador)
* Cora suturifera Nugra, Besal & Lücking (2016) – Ecuador
* Cora terrestris Dal-Forno, Chaves & Lücking (2016) – Costa Rica
* Cora terricoleslia Wilk, Dal-Forno & Lücking (2016) – Bolivia
* Cora timucua Lücking, Kaminsky, Perlmutter, Lawrey & Dal-Forno (2020) – Florida, United States (possibly extinct)
* Cora totonacorum Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2019) – Veracruz, Mexico
* Cora trindadensis Lücking, M.Cáceres, N.G.Silva & R.J.V.Alves (2015) – Ilha da Trindade (Brazil)
* Cora udebeceana Moncada, R.-E.Peláez & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora undulata L.Y.Vargas, Moncada & Lücking (2014) – Colombia
* Cora urceolata Moncada, Coca & Lücking (2016) – Colombia
* Cora verjonensis Lücking, Moncada & Dal-Forno (2016) – Colombia
* Cora viliewoa Lücking, Chaves & Soto-Medina (2016) – Costa Rica; Colombia; Ecuador
* Cora yukiboa Merc.-Díaz, Moncada & Lücking (2016) – Puerto Rico
* Cora zapotecorum Moncada, R.-E.Pérez & Lücking (2019) – Oaxaca, Mexico