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The Northeast Asian endemic species of lichen-forming fungus Umbilicaria krascheninnikovii is herein discussed in the global context of biogeography and phylogeny of the U. aprina group. The name U. krascheninnikovii has been erroneously used by lichenologists for Umbilicaria spp. from high latitudes or altitudes worldwide, as there are omphalodisc apothecia and rough "crystals" of a necral layer on the upper surface. To test the monophyly and phylogenetic relationships within the U. aprina group, four independent DNA regions (nrITS/5.8S, RPB2, mtLSU, and mtSSU) were used for six rare species, including a dozen specimens of U. krascheninnikovii from its locus classicus in Kamchatka. The study is based on the phylograms obtained using maximum likelihood and a Bayesian phylogenetic inference framework. As a result of phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses, it was shown that U. krascheninnikovii is a neo-endemic of the areas of modern volcanism in Kamchatka, Japan, as well as in the Kurile Islands, where this species was recorded for the first time. The morphology of U. krascheninnikovii is herein described and illustrated. Increasing the role of the sexual process and reducing asexual thalloconidiogenesis are shown to be apomorphic traits in the U. aprina group. The combination of sexual and asexual reproduction provides adaptive advantages in changing environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty-one species of lichenicolous fungi are reported from Kamchatka, all but three being new to the area. Epinephroma gen. nov., Endococcus peltigericola sp. nov. (on Peltigera membranacea), Epinephroma kamchatica sp. nov. (on Nephroma parile) and Stigmidium buelliae sp. nov. (on Buellia disciformis) are described as new to science. Phoma lobariicola is new to Asia and Russia, Epicladonia stenospora, Plectocarpon peltigerae, Sphaerellothecium propinquellum and Tremella cetrariicola are new to Asia, Zwackhiomyces sphinctrinoides is new to Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]