Tremellomycetes are one of the most species rich group of lichen-associated basidiomycete fungi. Yet very little is known about the biology of the lichen-associated species. We present new information on the life cycle of two such species and gives new and important insights into the specificity of their symbiotic interactions with Lecanora lichens. Our study adds to the growing body of recent findings documenting the occurrence of basidiomycete yeasts in lichen thalli, and highlights that current estimates of distribution, frequency of occurrence and species specificity of lichen-associated tremellalean fungi need to be revisited.

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