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A new species, Bacidia fuscopallida Lee & Heo and four new records, B. ekmaniana R. C. Harris, Ladd & Lendemer, B. friesiana (Hepp) Körb., B. heterochroa (Müll. Arg.) Zahlbr. and B. suffusa (Fr.) A. Schneid., are described from South Korea. Bacidia fuscopallida differs from B. diffracta S. Ekman, the most similar species, by warted but non-granular thallus, paler and smaller apothecia without pruina, proper exciple without crystals, over 11-septate ascospores and smaller pycnidia and pycnoconidia. Bacidia ekmaniana is recorded new to Asia, B. heterochroa is reported new to northeastern Asia and B. friesiana and B. suffusa are new to Korea. Molecular analyses employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences strongly support the classification of the five species of Bacidia. A surrogate key is provided to assist in the identification of all 19 taxa in Bacidia of Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspicilia humida Lee is described as a new lichen-forming fungus from a wetland forest, South Korea. The new species is distinguishable from Aspicilia aquatica (Fr.) Körb., the most similar species, by the absence of prothallus, black disk without green color in water, olivebrown epihymenium, shorter hymenium, hymenium I + yellowish blue-green, wider paraphysial tips without a vivid pigment, smaller asci, smaller ascospores, and the presence of stictic acid. Molecular analyses employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) sequences strongly support A. humida as a distinct species in the A. cinerea group. A surrogate key is provided to assist in the identification of all 28 aspicilioid species of Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rinodina salicis Lee & Hur and Rinodina zeorina Lee & Hur are described as new lichen-forming fungi from forested wetlands or a humid forest in South Korea. Rinodina salicis is distinguishable from Rinodina excrescens Vain., the most similar species, by its olive-gray thallus with smaller areoles without having blastidia, contiguous apothecia, non-pruinose discs, paler disc color, wider ascospores in the Pachysporariatype II, and the absence of secondary metabolites. Rinodina zeorina differs from Rinodina hypobadia Sheard by areolate and brownish thallus, non-pruinose apothecia, colorless and wider parathecium, narrower paraphyses with non-pigmented and unswollen tips, longer and narrower ascospores with angular to globose lumina, and the absence of pannarin. Molecular analyses employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences strongly support the two new species to be unique in the genus Rinodina. An updated key is provided to assist in the identification of all 63 taxa in Rinodina of the far eastern Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lecanora parasymmicta Lee & Hur and Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis Lee & Hur are described as new lichen species to science from the forested wetlands in southern South Korea. Molecular analyses employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) sequences strongly support the two lecanoroid species to be distinct in their genera. Lecanora parasymmicta is included in the Lecanora symmicta group. It is morphologically distinguished from Lecanora symmicta (Ach.) Ach., its most similar species, by areolate-rimose thallus, blackish hypothallus, larger apothecia, absence of thalline excipulum from the beginning, narrower paraphyses, larger ascospores, smaller pycnoconidia, and the presence of placodiolic acid. The second new species Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis is included in a clade with Protoparmeliopsis bipruinosa (Fink) S.Y. Kondr. and P. nashii (B.D. Ryan) S.Y. Kondr., differs from Protoparmeliopsis ertzii Bungartz & Elix, its most morphologically similar species, by whitish thallus, flat to concave and paler disc, longer ascospores, thallus K+ yellow reaction, presence of atranorin and rhizocarpic acid, and the substrate preference to sandstone or basalt. A key is provided to assist in the identification of Protoparmeliopsis species in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrenodesmia rugosa Lee & Hur and Huriella aeruginosa Lee & Hur are described as new lichen-forming fungi from a calcareous mountain of South Korea. Pyrenodesmia rugosa is distinguishable from Pyrenodesmia micromontana (Frolov, Wilk & Vondrák) Hafellner & Türk, the most similar species, by thicker thallus, rugose areoles, larger apothecia, shorter hymenium, shorter hypothecium and narrower tip cells of paraphyses. Huriella aeruginosa, the second new species, differs from 'Squamulea' chelonia Bungartz & Søchting by dark greenish-grey to grey thallus without pruina, gold to yellow-brown epihymenium, larger ascospores and thallus K- and KC-reaction. Molecular analyses employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS), mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) and nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU) sequences strongly support the two caloplacoid species to be distinct in their genera. A surrogate key is provided to assist in the identification of all 20 taxa in Huriella and Squamulea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species, Thelopsis ullungdoensis and Phylloblastia gyeongsangbukensis are described from Ullung-Do (Island), South Korea. The closest relatives from Europe and Korea are epiphytic Thelopsis flaveola which differs by their immersed or semi-immersed yellow ascomata, ascospores without halo and their habitat of smooth bark (mainly Fagus) in humid and cold climates. Thelopsis gangwondoensis differs by its bigger semi-immersed ascomata (600-700 µm in diam.), oblong halonate ascospores (8-12x6-8 µm) and its habitat of smooth bark of deciduous trees. P. gyeongsangbukensis differs from its relatives within the genus in having 5-septate ascospores (22-26x6-8 µmm), semi-immersed, subglobose asco-mata with a flattened top (250-400 µm) and a thin, matt, uneven gray-brown to gray-green continuous thallus without isidia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lecanora baekdudaeganensis Lee & Hur is described as a new lichenized fungus from Baekdudaegan Mountains, South Korea. The new species is classified into the Lecanora subfusca group - allophana type and distinguishable from Lecanora imshaugii Brodo by a darker thallus, brownish disc, K-insoluble granules on the surface of the epihymenium, shorter hypothecium, and the presence of oil droplets in the apothecial section. Molecular analyses employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) sequences strongly support Lecanora baekdudaeganensis as a distinct species in the genus Lecanora. A surrogate key is provided to assist in the identification of all 52 taxa in the genus Lecanora of Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]