Twelve new lichen species are described in the family Arthoniaceae. All are sterile white crusts growing on overhanging trees (and one on living palm fronds) in ten different states in tropical Brazil. In the tropics, sterile crusts so far have been mostly disregarded. They are all characterized by their chemistry and morphology, often including pseudoisidia or soredia, but their phylogenetic relationships have been investigated with sequencing. The following species are described: Arthonia farinosorediata, with shallow soralia and without secondary metabolites; Crypthonia irregularis, with irregular isidia, confluentic acid and sometimes 2ʹ-O-methylperlatolic acid; Crypthonia pseudisidiata, with soft pseudoisidia and without secondary metabolites; Crypthonia stromatica, with sterile stromata and confluentic acid; Cryptophaea constrictopseudisidiata with pseudoisidia, lichexanthone and confluentic acid; Cryptophaea lichexanthopseudisidiata with pseudoisidia and lichexanthone; Cryptophaea lichexanthosorediata with soredia, lichexanthone and divaricatic acid; Cryptothecia lecanorosorediata with soredia and lecanoric acid; Glomerulophoron confluentisorediatum with soredia, confluentic and 2ʹ-O-methylperlatolic acids; Herpothallon psorpseudisidiatum on living palm fronds with a strongly attached thallus, long pseudoisidia and psoromic acid; Myriostigma minisorediatum with soredia and 2ʹ-O-methylperlatolic acid; Pachnolepia longipseudisidiata with long pseudoisidia, and a thallus containing lichexanthone, confluentic acid and 2ʹ-O-methylperlatolic acid.
]]>During a field trip to the highlands of Mount Meru in Tanzania, two Placopsis specimens were collected. Morphological analyses showed a unique combination of characters not observed in any other published taxa within the genus. The specimens are characterized by their circular soralia, not confluent, crater-shaped, with a prominent white margin and coarse granular pinkish central soredia. Considering the morphological, geographical and genetic data, we propose the designation of a new species, Placopsis craterifera Boluda sp. nov.
]]>A survey of the lichen genus Pseudopyrenula in India is presented, with morphotaxonomic accounts of all six accepted species. Two species, P. himalayana and P. megaspora, are new to science. Both species resemble P. staphyleae but have a lichenized thallus and eccentric ostiole. Furthermore, P. himalayana differs from P. staphyleae in having immersed perithecia and narrower ascospores, while P. megaspora differs in the larger ascospores. Detailed descriptions of the new species are presented, together with notes on their chemistry, distribution, ecology and taxonomy. A key to all known species of Pseudopyrenula from India is also presented.
]]>Seven species of Cliostomum Fr. recorded from Australia are treated. These include the widespread C. griffithii (Sm.) Coppins, the austral C. praepallidum (Müll. Arg.) Kantvilas & Fryday and the Tasmanian endemic C. vezdae Kantvilas, a reinstated name previously subsumed under C. flavidulum Hafellner & Kalb. Three species are described as new: C. latisporum Kantvilas, a corticolous species containing atranorin and gangaleoidin from coastal Tasmania and New South Wales, characterized by pale pink, soon immarginate apothecia, 0.3–0.9 mm wide, non-capitate, unpigmented paraphyses, and relatively wide, 1(–3)-septate ascospores, 9–15 × 4–6 μm; C. litorale Kantvilas, a saxicolous species containing atranorin and confluentic acid, recorded only from Tasmania, with relatively large, usually pale pinkish apothecia, 0.6–1.5 mm wide, non-capitate paraphyses, and 1(–2)-septate ascospores, 9–13 × 4−6 μm; and C. saxatile Kantvilas, a saxicolous species containing atranorin and lecanoric acid, also known only from Tasmania, with dark brown to black apothecia, 0.3–0.5 mm wide, pigmented with Laurocerasi-brown, capitate paraphyses, and 1-septate ascospores, 7–14 × 3–5 μm. The widespread, coastal Australasian species Tylothallia verrucosa (Müll. Arg.) Kantvilas is transferred to Cliostomum, with the additional synonym Catillaria brisbanensis Räsänen. Megalaria variegata (Müll. Arg.) D. J. Galloway, based on a New Zealand type, is a further synonym of Cliostomum griffithii. All species are illustrated and described on the basis of Australian and Tasmanian specimens.
]]>Sticta canariensis is a lichen which is rare in all parts of its range in Atlantic Europe and Macaronesia, where it occurs in laurisilva forests, a habitat highly threatened by global change. Thus, this species is of high priority for inclusion in conservation programmes where genetic diversity should be considered. We have established new microsatellite loci and generated a dataset that demonstrates the genetic diversity of the lichen-forming fungus S. canariensis from eight locations across its disjunct range, in Macaronesia, Norway and England. We genotyped 25 microsatellite loci for 65 specimens and detected five genetic clusters which resemble major geographical divisions, specifically among the Macaronesian archipelagos. The total number of observed alleles ranged from 2 to 22. These are the first microsatellite markers developed for S. canariensis and they will be useful for population genetic studies and for conservation assessments.
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