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The genus Wetmoreana was studied using quantitative integrative taxonomy methods to resolve the genus delimitation and explore its taxonomy diversity at the species level. As a result, the genus Fulgogasparrea is synonymized with Wetmoreana, and the latter includes 15 formally described species, one subspecies, and three further, thus far undescribed species: W. appressa, W. awasthii comb. nov., W. bahiensis sp. nov., W. brachyloba comb. nov., W. brouardii, W. chapadensis comb. nov., W. circumlobata sp. nov., W. decipioides, W. intensa comb. nov., W. ochraceofulva comb. nov., W. rubra sp. nov., W. sliwae sp. nov., W. sliwae ssp. subparviloba subsp. nov., W. subnitida comb. nov., W. texana, and W. variegata sp. nov. Eleven of 19 examined taxa are newly placed within this genus or confirmed to belong to it. Two species, W. awasthii and W. intensa, are transferred to Wetmoreana without additional analysis but based on previous studies. The W. brouardii and W. ochraceofulva species complexes are discussed in detail. Additionally, Caloplaca muelleri and C. rubina var. evolutior are transferred to Squamulea, and the latter is elevated to the species rank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe 43 new lichen species in the family Graphidaceae, mainly from the Amazon basin: Fissurina bispora, F. diamantica, F. endothallina, F. lirelloreagens, F. reticulolirellina, Graphis inspersonorstictica, G. polystriatosubmuriformis, G. viridithallina, Heiomasia hypostictica, Leucodecton aurantiacum, Mangoldia thallolomoides, Myriochapsa negativa, M. triseptata, Myriotrema inspersosticticum, M. reticulatum, M. roseum, M. xanthonicum, Ocellularia coronatoverrucosa, O. griseosorediata, O. inspersomuriformis, O. inspersulascens, O. microschizidiata, O. norsorediata, O. pallidocolumellata, O. pedicellata, O. pertusella, O. pseudocyphellata, O. psorinspersa, O. psorsorediata, O. roseoisidiata, O. sorediopseudochapsa, O. verruciinspersa, O. vulcanica, O. wirthiotremoides, Phaeographis aureopruinosa, P. coccinea, P. fuscobilabiata, P. macrocephalica, P. norscalpturata, P. pallidoxanthonica, Rhabdodiscus lineatus, Stegobolus negativus, and Thalloloma xanthohypoleptum (the last species also from Puerto Rico). Relatively many are fertile but also form vegetative propagules. A few of the species contain no mature ascospores, but are so deviating from any other described species that we decided to describe them nonetheless. Also, we propose the following 22 new combinations for species of Graphidaceae that were previously described from Brazil and currently are accepted species but were so far assigned to the other genera: Allographa basaltica (≡ Graphis basaltica Kremp.), A. brevissima (≡ Graphis brevissima Fée), A. byrsonimae (≡ Graphina byrsonimae Redinger), A. heteroplaca (≡ Graphina heteroplaca Müll.Arg.), A. platypoda (≡ Phaeographina platypoda Zahlbr.), A. pseudoserpens (≡ Graphis pseudoserpens Chaves & Lücking), A. subargentata (≡ Graphis subargentata S.C.Feuerst., Dal Forno & Eliasaro), A. tricolorata (≡ Graphina tricolorata Redinger), Diorygma album (≡ Graphina alba Müll.Arg.), Fissurina adscripturiens (≡ Graphis adscripturiens Nyl.), F. egenella (≡ Graphina egenella Müll.Arg.), Graphis fasciata (≡ Ustalia fasciata Eschw.), Mangoldia lecideicarpa (≡ Graphina lecideicarpa Zahlbr.), O. endocrocea (≡ O. cinchonarum var. endocrocea Müll.Arg.), O. minarum (≡ Thelotrema minarum Vain.), Phaeographis atrolabiata (≡ Phaeographina atrolabiata Redinger), Phaeographis cheilomegas (≡ Graphis cheilomegas Fée), P. coriaria (≡ Phaeographina coriaria M.Wirth & Hale), P. crassa (≡ Platygramme crassa Fée), P. oxalifera (≡ Phaeographina oxalifera Redinger), P. scriptitata (≡ Phaeographina scriptitata C.W.Dodge), and Stegobolus trachodes (≡ Thelotrema trachodes Nyl.). Finally, we report several species new to Brazil or to one of the states: Allographa pitmanii new to Amapá, Cryptoschizotrema minus new to Alagoas, Glaucotrema glaucophaenum new to Amapá, Graphis pyrrhocheiloides new to Amapá, Graphis subserpentina new to Pará, Melanotrema astrolucens new to Brazil in Amazonas and Pará, Myriotrema hartii new to Amazonas, O. bullata new to Brazil in Pará, O. inspersipallens new to Brazil in Rondônia, O. jutaratiae new to Amapá, O. parvidisca new to Brazil in Amapá, O. rondoniana new to Alagoas, and Thelotrema wilsoniorum new to Brazil in Amapá. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi comprise approximately 20% of all eukaryotic species and are connected to virtually all life forms on Earth. Yet, their diversity remains contentious, their distribution elusive, and their conservation neglected. We aim to flip this situation by synthesizing current knowledge. We present a revised estimate of 2–3 million fungal species with a "best estimate" at 2.5 million. To name the unknown >90% of these by the end of this century, we propose recognition of species known only from DNA data and call for large-scale sampling campaigns. We present an updated global map of fungal richness, highlighting tropical and temperate ecoregions of high diversity. We call for further Red List assessments and enhanced management guidelines to aid fungal conservation. Given that fungi play an inseparable role in our lives and in all ecosystems, and considering the fascinating questions remaining to be answered, we argue that fungi constitute the next frontier of biodiversity research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel identification tool called PhyloKey , based on the method of morphology-based, phylogenetic binning developed within the software package RAxML. This method takes a reference data set of species for which both molecular and morphological data are available, computes a molecular reference tree, maps the morphological characters on the tree, and computes weights based on their level of consistency versus homoplasy using maximum likelihood (ML) and maximum parsimony (MP). Additional units for which only morphological data are known are then binned onto the reference tree, calculating bootstrap support values for alternative placements. This approach is modified here to work as an identification tool which uses the same character coding approach as interactive keys. However, rather than identifying individual samples through a progressive filtering process when entering or selecting characters, query samples are binned in batch mode to all possible alternative species in the tree, with each placement receiving a bootstrap support adding to 100% for all alternative placements. In addition to the fact that, after scoring a character matrix, a large number of specimens can be identified at once in short time, all possible alternative identifications are immediately apparent and can be evaluated based on their bootstrap support values. We illustrate this approach using the basidiolichen genus Cora , which was recently shown to contain hundreds of species. We also demonstrate how the PhyloKey approach can aid the restudying of herbarium samples, adding further value to these collections and contributing with large quantitative data matrices to 'non-molecular museomics'. Our analysis showed that PhyloKey identifies species correctly with as low as 50% of the characters sampled, depending on the nature of the reference tree and the character weighting scheme. Overall, a molecular reference tree worked best, but a randomized reference tree gave more consistent results, whereas a morphological reference tree performed less well. Surprisingly, even character weighting gave the best results, followed by parsimony weighting and then maximum likelihood weighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of the lichen family Graphidaceae in Macaronesia (Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the Azores) is presented, with detailed treatments for the genera Allographa, Fissurina, and Graphis. All other species are listed and new records provided. A key to all Graphicacy known from Macaronesia, except the thelotremoid species, is presented. The following species are newly described: Fissurina azorica, Fissurina elaiocarpoides, Fissurina nigrolabiata, and Topeliopsis juniperina. Many species are newly recorded for one or more islands of the three archipelagos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we revised the lichen collection at the Herbario Amazonico Colombiano (coah) in Bogotá, Colombia. The collection has a total of nearly 2,400 specimens, with some duplicates in the Herbario Nacional (col) and in the herbarium of the Botanic Garden in Berlin (b). The revision of 1,861 specimens revealed 574 species in 142 genera and 44 families, among which there are 28 species new to science and seven new combinations. Previously, 324 species had been reported from the Colombian Amazon, and our revision resulted in a new total of 666 species, more than doubling the previous number. All 666 species are enumerated here in the first comprehensive checklist of lichens from the Colombian Amazon. A total of 157 new country records (53 already reported in the new Catalogue of Fungi of Colombia) increase the number of lichens known from Colombia to 2,827. The following species are described as new: Allographa exuens, differing from A. argentata by the lirellae with the corticiform layer soon flaking off and exposing the black labia, the only finely inspersed hymenium, and the narrower ascospores; A. guainiae, differing from Graphis syzygii in the prominent ascomata with lateral thalline margin and whitish thallus remnants between the striae; A. labiata, differing from A. immersa in the prominent lirellae with conspicuous, entire, exposed labia, an inspersed hymenium, longer ascospores, and stictic acid as secondary compound; A. lichexanthonica, differing from A. sitiana in producing lichexanthone; A. sessilis, differing from A. contortuplicata in the muriform ascospores; A. suprainspersata, differing from A. angustata in the very thin thalline cover of the ascomata and the apically inspersed hymenium; Astrothelium bireagens, differing from A. cinnamomeum by the broader, apically flattened perithecia covered by a thin, ferruginous-red, K+ deep purple pruina and internally with an ochraceous-yellow, K+ deep yellow pigment; A. stromatolucidum, differing from A. neovariolosum in the distinctly pseudostromatic ascomata; Carbacanthographis submultiseptata, differing from C. multiseptata in the narrower ascospores and the indistinct periphysoids; Chapsa inconspicua, differing from C. angustispora in the smooth to uneven versus farinose thallus and in the much shorter ascospores; Coenogonium velutinellum, differing from C. pineti in the finely velvety, rather thick thallus composed of irregular to erect, densely packed algal threads covered by a thin pseudocortex; Fellhanera naevioides, differing from F. naevia in the finely dispersed, minutely crenulate thallus and the blackish apothecia; Fissurina sipmanii, differing from F. amazonica in the shorter and broader, slightly gaping, somewhat chroodiscoid ascomata, and the amyloid ascospores; Glyphis lirellizans, differing from Glyphis substriatula in the erumpent vs. prominent lirellae with lateral thalline margin and the exposed disc; Graphis papillifera, differing from G. stellata in the lirellae lacking a thalline margin, very elongate and irregularly to radiately branched and not in stellate clusters, and in the 5-septate ascospores; G. pseudoglyphis, differing from Graphis stellata in the non-verrucose thallus, the branched lirellae which do not, however, form stellate clusters, and the shorter ascospores; Malmidea flavimarginata, differing from M. bacidinoides in the pale yellow, K+ deep yellow medulla and yellow, K+ deep yellow excipular crystals, as well as the smaller ascospores; M. isidiopiperina, differing from M. taytayensis in the smaller ascospores; M. papillitrailiana, differing from M. trailiana in the papillose apothecial margins; Myriotrema araracuarense, differing from Myriotrema muluense in the non-annulate pores of the apothecia and in the longer ascospores; Ocellularia areolata, differing from Ocellularia rhicnoporoides in the pigmented medulla and the larger, more prominent apothecia with completely carbonized excipulum; O. caquetensis, differing from Ocellularia rotundifumosa in the absence of a columella; O. inspersipallens, differing from O. viridipallens in the inspersed hymenium and the 5–7-septate ascospores; O. rufocinctoides, differing from O. rufocincta in the thallus lacking large and irregular crystal clusters, in the more prominent apothecia and in the smaller ascospores; O. sipmanii, differing from Ocellularia abbayesiana in the smaller, 3-septate ascospores; Pseudopyrenula daironii, differing from all other species of the genus in the aggregate perithecia with shared ostiole and the internal orange-red pigment granules lining the perithecial wall; Pyrenula asymmetrica, differing from Pyrenula papilligera in the longer, almost rectangular ascospores; and Redingeria pseudostromatica, differing from other species in the genus in the pseudostromatic ascomata with small, rounded apothecia, in combination with 1-septate ascospores. In addition, the following seven new combinations are proposed: Bacidina cyanophila (≡ Bacidina simplex var. cyanophila), Malmidea sorediifera (≡ Lecanora sorediifera), Ocellularia fuscescens (≡ Thelotrema fuscescens), Phaeographis cymbegrapha (≡ Graphis cymbegrapha; = Phaeographis amazonica Staiger], Polyblastidium flavosquamosum (≡ Heterodermia flavosquamosa), Polyblastidium lamelligerum (≡ Parmelia lamelligera), and Polyblastidium rottboellii (≡ Anaptychia hypoleuca var. rottboellii). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the genus Casearia, we assessed the status of nested singletons: individual specimens corresponding to accepted species but in molecular trees appearing nested within clades of closely related species. Normally, such cases would be left undecided, while on the other hand, timely taxonomic decisions are required. We argue that morphological, chorological, and ecological data can be informative to illuminate patterns of speciation. Their use can provide a first step in testing taxon concepts at species level. We focused on five cases of nested singletons in trees of the genus Casearia. We employed PCA and cluster analysis to assess phenotypic differentiation. Using geocoordinates, we calculated niche space differentiation based on 19 bioclim variables, by means of PCA and niche equivalency and similarity tests and generated dot maps. We found that the singletons were morphologically distinctive in two of the five cases (Casearia selloana and C. manausensis), relatively distinctive in two other cases (C. zizyphoides and C. mariquitensis), and partially overlapping in the last case (C. grandiflora). For two cases (C. mariquitensis and C. selloana), ecological niche space was broadly overlapping, in two cases it was found broadly nested (C. grandiflora and C. zizyphoides), and in one case narrowly nested (C. manausensis), but in no case niche differentiation was observed. Niche overlap, similarity and equivalency showed corresponding patterns. Given these data, one would interpret C. selloana and C. manausensis as presumably well‐distinguished taxa, their narrow distribution ranges suggesting recently emerging lineages. The other three cases are not clearcut. Morphological data would suggest particularly C. grandiflora conspecific with C. arborea, but differences in the distribution are intriguing. Our approach would reject the notion of potential synonymy based on nested phylogenetic placement for at least two of the five cases. The other case also shows no complete lack of differentiation which would support synonymy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the status of two New Zealand endemic morphodemes in the genus Sticta , currently treated as two separate taxa, Sticta filix and Sticta lacera. Both are green-algal lichens with a distinct stipe that grow in forested habitats and are suitable indicators of the indigenous vegetation health in forest ecosystems in New Zealand. They exhibit different morphologies and substrate ecologies: S. filix forms rather robust thalli, often on exposed trunks of phorophytes, with erect stems distinctly emerging from the substrate, whereas S. lacera is a more delicate lichen growing near the base of trees, usually among bryophyte mats or sheltered in the exposed portions of the phorophyte root-plate, with a prostrate, branched, stolon-like stem barely emerging from the substrate. Throughout their range, both taxa grow sympatrically and often in close proximity (syntopically). Despite the differences, ITS barcoding does not support the two morphodemes as separate species. In this study we assessed two possible explanations: (1) S. filix and S. lacera are discrete phenotypes of a single species, caused by developmental switching triggered by a discrete environmental variable, the propagules developing either on bare substrate or between bryophytes; and (2) the two morphodemes represent separate lineages, but ITS does not provide sufficient resolution to reflect this. We performed a quantitative analysis of morphological and ecological parameters, based on vouchered herbarium collections and field observations on iNaturalist NZ (https://inaturalist.nz), to assess the level of discreteness of the growth forms and to test for a correlation with the presence of a bryophyte mat. We further took advantage of an existing molecular data set from a target capture approach, comprised of 205 protein markers. This data set was used to establish a framework of percentage identities between pairs of the same and of different species among lobarioid Peltigeraceae and then to test whether the S. filix / lacera pairing fell closer to a within-species or a between-species pairing. The morphometric analysis of herbarium material resolved S. filix and S. lacera as two discrete morphs with little overlap, supported by numerous observations on iNaturalist NZ. However, whereas herbarium material suggested a significant association of the lacera morph with bryophyte mats, no such pattern was evident from field images on iNaturalist NZ, in which both morphs frequently associated with bryophyte mats. This highlights the limitations of herbarium material to correctly assess substrate ecology, whereas iNaturalist NZ postings had issues with correct identifications, given that especially S. lacera is easily confused with Pseudocyphellaria multifida. Based on the target capture data, the percentage identity of the S. filix / lacera pairing (99.43%) was significantly higher than that of all 12 between-species pairings (93.20–98.01%); it was at the same time lower than that of all within-species pairings (99.63–99.99%) but significantly so only in comparison with five out of the eight within-species pairings. The target capture approach is thus inconclusive, but the combination of all data suggests that S. filix and S. lacera are not discrete morphodemes of a single species but represent two separate lineages which emerged recently and hence cannot be resolved using the ITS barcoding marker or even a deeper phylogenomic approach based on protein-coding markers. We propose transplantation experiments and the application of RADseq to further assess this situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide an updated, worldwide key to species of the genus Carbacanthographis, which is characterized by lirellate ascomata, a carbonized excipulum, warty periphysoids, and mostly non-amyloid ascospores. New collections and revision of herbarium material revealed 17 species new to science: Carbacanthographis acanthoamicta, with a thinly corticate thallus, a completely carbonized excipulum, apically warty paraphyses, small and (sub-)muriform ascospores, and salazinic acid; C. acanthoparaphysata, with a completely carbonized excipulum, apically warty paraphyses, small and submuriform, amyloid ascospores, and protocetraric acid; C. aggregata, with aggregated lirellae, a completely carbonized excipulum, small and submuriform ascospores, and salazinic acid; C. amazonica, with a completely carbonized excipulum, small and transversely septate ascospores, and stictic acid; C. aptrootii, with a completely carbonized excipulum, apically warty paraphyses, small to medium-sized and transversely septate, amyloid ascospores, and norstictic acid; C. brasiliensis, with a completely carbonized excipulum, apically warty paraphyses, medium-sized and transversely septate, amyloid ascospores, and no substances; C. chionophoroides, with a completely carbonized excipulum, small and transversely septate ascospores, and protocetraric acid; C. halei, with a corticate thallus, a completely carbonized excipulum, small and transversely septate ascospores, and stictic acid; C. latispora, with a completely carbonized excipulum, very large and transversely septate ascospores, and stictic acid; C. megalospora, with a corticate thallus, a completely carbonized excipulum, very large muriform ascospores, and stictic acid; C. multiseptata, with a completely carbonized excipulum, very large and transversely septate ascospores, and protocetraric acid; C. novoguineensis, with a completely carbonized excipulum, small and submuriform ascospores, and salazinic acid; C. pseudorustica, with a corticate thallus, a completely carbonized excipulum, medium-sized and transversely septate, amyloid ascospores, and stictic acid; C. salazinicoides, with a corticate thallus, a completely carbonized excipulum, medium-sized and muriform ascospores, and salazinic acid; C. sipmaniana, with a completely carbonized excipulum, apically warty paraphyses, small and transversely septate, weakly amyloid ascospores, and norstictic acid; C. spongiosa, with a completely carbonized excipulum, inspersed hymenium, small, transversely septate ascospores, and stictic acid; and C. subchionophora, with a completely carbonized excipulum, small and transversely septate ascospores, and protocetraric acid. New molecular data confirm the position of C. megalospora in the genus. In addition, we propose one new combination, Carbacanthographis nematoides. The known world distribution of four species is expanded: C. amicta is reported from Papua New Guinea; C. induta from Thailand; C. marcescens from French Guyana and Papua New Guinea; and C. stictica from Colombia, French Guyana, Venezuela and Suriname. For all species, short descriptions and distribution notes are given, and most species are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foliicolous lichen Gallaicolichen pacificus exhibits unique goniocystangia-like structures named peltidiangia and peltidia. Its taxonomic classification within the Ascomycota has been unclear due to the absence of ascomata and lack of molecular data. Here we clarify the phylogenetic affinities of Gallaicolichen pacificus by analyzing mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal RNA (mtSSU) sequences obtained from specimens collected in New Caledonia. Ascomata and ascospores of G. pacificus , previously unknown, are described and illustrated for the first time. The results from the molecular and morphological analyses clearly indicate that Gallaicolichen pacificus belongs to the Porinaceae and is closely related to Porina guianensis. This is a remarkable extension of the already known, wide morphological diversity of thalli and diaspores produced within this family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four species of the genus Sticta are described as new from Bolivia, based on morphological examination and phylogenetic analysis of the fungal ITS barcoding marker. Additionally, two species are reported as new to Bolivia (their identification confirmed by molecular data) and one previously reported species is confirmed by molecular data for the first time. Detailed morphological and anatomical descriptions are provided for all new species. Two of the new species, S. isidiolobulata Ossowska, B. Moncada, Lücking & Kukwa and S. madidiensis Ossowska, B. Moncada, Lücking & Kukwa belong to clade I, as defined in previous studies. In contrast, S. montepunkuensis Ossowska, B. Moncada, Lücking & Kukwa and S. macrolobata Ossowska, B. Moncada, Lücking & Kukwa, also described here as new to science, belong to clade III. Sticta isidiolobulata has an irregular to suborbicular thallus of medium size, with isidia developing into spathulate lobules, cyanobacterial photobiont and apothecia with entire to weakly-crenate margins. The large irregular thallus of the cyanobacteria-associated S. macrolobata has broad lobes, apothecia with verrucous to tomentose margins and cyphellae with raised margins, whereas S. madidiensis has a medium-sized, palmate to irregular thallus with a stipe, but without vegetative propagules and apothecia. Sticta montepunkuensis has large and irregular thalli with green algae as photobiont, apothecia with crenate to verrucous margins and urceolate cyphellae with a wide pore and a scabrid basal membrane. Two species, S. beauvoisii Delise and S. riparia Merc.-Díaz are reported as new to Bolivia (the latter also as new to South America) and belong to clade III. Sticta tomentosa (Sw.) Ach., species confirmed from Bolivia by molecular data, belongs to clade II. Sticta beauvoisii is characterised by a smooth yellowish-brown upper surface with darker apices and abundant, marginal isidia and a brown lower surface with golden-chocolate brown primary tomentum and sparse, golden-brown rhizines. Sticta riparia has a strongly branched thallus, with undulate lobes and abundant, marginal, palmate, grey to dark brown phyllidia and greyish-brown lower surface with the primary tomentum absent towards the margins. Sticta tomentosa has palmate, bluish thalli with white cilia and abundant, submarginal apothecia and creamy-white lower surface with a sparse, white primary tomentum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the new lichenized fungus Lasioloma antillarum Lücking, Högnabba & Sipman from the Netherlands Antilles. The new species is characterized by a corticolous growth habit, apothecia with shortly tomentose margins, and rather small (35–50 × 12–16 µm), muriform ascospores in numbers of 2(–4) per ascus. The material had originally been identified as Calopadia phyllogena (Müll. Arg.) Vězda, with associated sequence data, but in phylogenetic analyses consistently fell outside the latter genus. Its revised identification as a species of Lasioloma is consistent with its phylogenetic position and underlines the necessity of posterior annotations in public sequence repositories, in order to correct previous identifications. Citation: Lücking R., Högnabba F. & Sipman H. J. M. 2021: Lasioloma antillarum (Ascomycota: Pilocarpaceae), a new lichenized fungus from the Antilles, and the importance of posterior annotations of sequence data in public repositories. – Willdenowia 51: 83–89. Version of record first published online on 23 March 2021 ahead of inclusion in April 2021 issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the structure of foliicolous lichen communities in the northernmost lowland forest of the Neotropics, Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station in Veracruz, Mexico, and its dependence on phorophyte and microclimate. Along a 420‐m long transect with 15 equidistant sampling points, within a 10 m radius of each point, we sampled a total 137 phorophytes and 411 leaves. The phorophytes represented 13 species, with diverse leaf traits regarding size, texture, presence of hairs and/or glands, and longevity, including: Astrocaryum mexicanum (Arecaceae), Chamaedorea ernesti‐augustii (Arecaceae), Costus scaber (Costaceae), Guarea glabra (Meliaceae), Heliconia latispatha (Heliconiaceae), Monstera acuminata (Araceae), Myriocarpa longipes (Urticaceae), Piper hispidum (Piperaceae), Poulsenia armata (Moraceae), Pseudolmedia oxyphyllaria (Moraceae), Salacia megistophylla (Celastraceae), Siparuna thecaphora (Siparunaceae) and Syngonium podophyllum (Araceae). NDMS ordination and cluster analysis grouped the phorophytes into hierarchically structured clusters variously correlated with microsite, phorophyte species and foliicolous lichen species richness. Indicator species analysis revealed statistically significant foliicolous lichen species characteristic for terminal clusters and for phorophyte species. We conclude that the principle of "diversity begets diversity" may apply, in that phorophyte diversity influences the diversity of foliicolous lichen communities through the manifestation of subtle phorophyte preferences, best seen in well‐developed communities on leaves with higher longevity. Thus, well‐preserved forest ecosystems, with a higher diversity of suitable phorophytes, will support a higher diversity of foliicolous lichens, a phenomenon that extents to epiphytes in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ostropales sensu lato is a large group comprising both lichenized and non-lichenized fungi, with several lineages expressing optional lichenization where individuals of the same fungal species exhibit either saprotrophic or lichenized lifestyles depending on the substrate (bark or wood). Greatly variable phenotypic characteristics and large-scale phylogenies have led to frequent changes in the taxonomic circumscription of this order. Ostropales sensu lato is currently split into Graphidales, Gyalectales, Odontotrematales, Ostropales sensu stricto, and Thelenellales. Ostropales sensu stricto is now confined to the family Stictidaceae, which includes a large number of species that are poorly known, since they usually have small fruiting bodies that are rarely collected, and thus, their taxonomy remains partly unresolved. Here, we introduce a new genus Ostropomyces to accommodate a novel lineage related to Ostropa, which is composed of two new species, as well as a new species of Sphaeropezia, S. shangrilaensis. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses of mitochondrial small subunit spacers (mtSSU), large subunit nuclear rDNA (LSU), and internal transcribed spacers (ITS) sequence data, together with phenotypic data documented by detailed morphological and anatomical analyses, support the taxonomic affinity of the new taxa in Stictidaceae. Ancestral character state analysis did not resolve the ancestral nutritional status of Stictidaceae with confidence using Bayes traits, but a saprotrophic ancestor was indicated as most likely in a Bayesian binary Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling (MCMC) approach. Frequent switching in nutritional modes between lineages suggests that lifestyle transition played an important role in the evolution of this family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peter D. Crittenden served as senior editor of The Lichenologist, the flagship journal in the field of lichenological research, for a period of two decades, between 2000 and 2019. A review of the development of the journal and the publication output during this period is provided. The number of papers published during this period (1197) matches that of all papers published under the three previous senior editors, Peter W. James, David L. Hawksworth and Dennis H. Brown, during a much longer period of 42 years from 1958 to 1999. Peter oversaw important editorial changes to the layout and content of the journal: an increased size with a modern cover design, leaving behind the classic mint-coloured cover of more than 40 years; the addition of 'thematic issues' and encouragement of large monographs; implementation of substantial changes to the Code, such as effective electronic publication and obligate registration of new fungal names; and more recently a new policy to reject so-called 'single naked species descriptions'. Shortly before Peter took over as senior editor, The Lichenologist had received its first impact factor, and Peter managed to continuously increase this measure from around 0.9 to lately up to over 1.5, higher than most other competing journals. The 1197 papers between 2000 and 2019 were published by a total of 1138 different authors, more than half of whom appeared just once as author, whereas a small number participated in numerous (up to 93) papers. There was a continuous increase in the mean number of authors per paper per year, from below 2.5 to around 3.5, the highest numbers ranging between 11 and 30; still, c. 75% of all papers between 2000 and 2019 were single-authored or had up to three authors. Based on affiliations at the time of publication, two thirds of author contributions came from Europe (66%), 13% from North America, 9% from Asia and 7% from Latin America. Likewise, almost half of the study areas were located in Europe and around 10% each in North America, South America and Asia. The countries with the highest number of studies included, in descending order, the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden. North America and Europe were over-represented in terms of author contributions, whereas Africa, Latin America, Australia and Oceania were over-represented in terms of study areas. The 1197 papers analyzed encompassed a broad diversity of topics, classified into 32 categories. Taxonomy of lichenized fungi was the most frequent component, representing the focal point in almost half of all studies, followed by phylogeny and evolution, ecology, and the taxonomy of lichenicolous fungi. Around two thirds of the currently accepted genera of lichenized fungi were treated, with a significant correlation between known species richness and the number of papers in which a genus was treated, underlining the taxonomic representativity of papers published in the journal during the past two decades. Examples of genera that were treated more frequently than expected included commonly studied model organisms, such as Lobaria, and those frequently featured in ecological or other non-taxonomic studies, such as Xanthoria. Species-rich tropical genera, particularly in the Graphidaceae, were generally under-represented. Mean number of authors per paper per volume and total number of country origins of authors per volume were the best predictors of impact factor, followed by diversity of study countries per volume, mean number of study countries per paper per volume, mean number of topics per paper per volume, and proportion of studies with phylogenetic components per volume. Individual papers that contributed to high impact factors included broad-scale revisionary treatments and worldwide keys to species-rich taxa, substantial phylogenetic reclassifications of known taxonomic groups, papers dealing with novel methodological approaches of broad interest, and broad-scale studies related to environmental change and lichen biomonitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA barcoding using the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) has become prevalent in surveys of fungal diversity. This approach is, however, associated with numerous caveats, including the desire for speed, rather than accuracy, through the use of automated analytical pipelines, and the shortcomings of reference sequence repositories. Here we use the case of a specimen of the bracket fungus Trametes s.lat. (which includes the common and widespread turkey tail, T. versicolor) to illustrate these problems. The material was collected in Vietnam as part of a biodiversity inventory including DNA barcoding approaches for arthropods, plants and fungi. The ITS barcoding sequence of the query taxon was compared against reference sequences in GenBank and the curated fungal ITS database UNITE, using BLASTn and MegaBLAST, and was subsequently analysed in a multiple alignment-based phylogenetic context through a maximum likelihood tree including related sequences. Our results initially indicated issues with BLAST searches, including the use of pairwise local alignments and sorting through Total score and E value, rather than Percentage identity, as major shortcomings of the DNA barcoding approach. However, after thorough analysis of the results, we concluded that the single most important problem of this approach was incorrect sequence labelling, calling for the implementation of third-party annotations or analogous approaches in primary sequence repositories. In addition, this particular example revealed problems of improper fungal nomenclature, which required reinstatement of the genus name Cubamyces (= Leiotrametes), with three new combinations: C. flavidus, C. lactineus and C. menziesii. The latter was revealed as the correct identification of the query taxon, although the name did not appear among the best BLAST hits. While the best BLAST hits did correspond to the target taxon in terms of sequence data, their label names were misleading or unresolved, including [Fungal endophyte], [Uncultured fungus], Basidiomycota, Trametes cf. cubensis, Lenzites elegans and Geotrichum candidum (an unrelated ascomycetous contaminant). Our study demonstrates that accurate identification of fungi through molecular barcoding is currently not a fast-track approach that can be achieved through automated pipelines. Citation: Lücking R., Truong B. V., Huong D. T. T., Le N. H., Nguyen Q. D., Nguyen V. D., Raab-Straube E. von, Bollendorff S., Govers K. & Di Vincenzo V. 2020: Caveats of fungal barcoding: a case study in Trametes s.lat. (Basidiomycota: Polyporales) in Vietnam reveals multiple issues with mislabelled reference sequences and calls for third-party annotations. – Willdenowia 50: 383–403. doi: https://doi.org/10.3372/wi.50.50302 Version of record first published online on 15 September 2020 ahead of inclusion in December 2020 issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The known collections of the genus Cora in continental North America north of Mexico, all restricted to Florida, are shown to belong to a single species, representing a previously unrecognized taxon formally described herein as C. timucua. Based on data of the fungal ITS barcoding marker, obtained through Sanger and Illumina sequencing from two historical collections, the new species is phylogenetically most closely related to C. casanarensis from Colombia and C. itabaiana from Brazil, although it is morphologically most similar to the only distantly related C. hymenocarpa from Costa Rica. Based on data from the Consortium of North American Lichen Herbaria (CNALH) and from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), most of the collections of C. timucua originate from around the turn of the 19th century, while a few were made in the second half of the 20th century, all between 1968 and 1985. Almost all collections originate from Florida sand pine scrub, apparently the preferred habitat of this taxon. Neither modern collections nor extant localities are known. Based on these findings and the substantial degree of land use change in Florida in the past decades, we assessed the conservation status of C. timucua using the IUCN Red List criteria and found that it should be classified as critically endangered (CR), in line with the status of another Florida endemic, Cladonia perforata, which was the first federally red-listed lichen in the United States. The most likely location where C. timucua may still be extant is Ocala National Forest in the north-central portion of the Florida peninsula, although recent macrolichen surveys in that area did not encounter this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symbioses are evolutionarily pervasive and play fundamental roles in structuring ecosystems, yet our understanding of their macroevolutionary origins, persistence, and consequences is incomplete. We traced the macroevolutionary history of symbiotic and phenotypic diversification in an iconic symbiosis, lichens. By inferring the most comprehensive time-scaled phylogeny of lichen-forming fungi (LFF) to date (over 3,300 species), we identified shifts among symbiont classes that broadly coincided with the convergent evolution of phylogenetically or functionally similar associations in diverse lineages (plants, fungi, bacteria). While a relatively recent loss of lichenization in Lecanoromycetes was previously identified, our work instead suggests lichenization was abandoned far earlier, interrupting what had previously been considered a direct switch between trebouxiophycean and trentepohlialean algal symbionts. Consequently, some of the most diverse clades of LFF are instead derived from nonlichenized ancestors and re-evolved lichenization with Trentepohliales algae, a clade that also facilitated lichenization in unrelated lineages of LFF. Furthermore, while symbiont identity and symbiotic phenotype influence the ecology and physiology of lichens, they are not correlated with rates of lineage birth and death, suggesting more complex dynamics underly lichen diversification. Finally, diversification patterns of LFF differed from those of wood-rotting and ectomycorrhizal taxa, likely reflecting contrasts in their fundamental biological properties. Together, our work provides a timeline for the ecological contributions of lichens, and reshapes our understanding of symbiotic persistence in a classic model of symbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

True fungi (Fungi) and fungus-like organisms (e.g. Mycetozoa, Oomycota) constitute the second largest group of organisms based on global richness estimates, with around 3 million predicted species. Compared to plants and animals, fungi have simple body plans with often morphologically and ecologically obscure structures. This poses challenges for accurate and precise identifications. Here we provide a conceptual framework for the identification of fungi, encouraging the approach of integrative (polyphasic) taxonomy for species delimitation, i.e. the combination of genealogy (phylogeny), phenotype (including autecology), and reproductive biology (when feasible). This allows objective evaluation of diagnostic characters, either phenotypic or molecular or both. Verification of identifications is crucial but often neglected. Because of clade-specific evolutionary histories, there is currently no single tool for the identification of fungi, although DNA barcoding using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) remains a first diagnosis, particularly in metabarcoding studies. Secondary DNA barcodes are increasingly implemented for groups where ITS does not provide sufficient precision. Issues of pairwise sequence similarity-based identifications and OTU clustering are discussed, and multiple sequence alignment-based phylogenetic approaches with subsequent verification are recommended as more accurate alternatives. In metabarcoding approaches, the trade-off between speed and accuracy and precision of molecular identifications must be carefully considered. Intragenomic variation of the ITS and other barcoding markers should be properly documented, as phylotype diversity is not necessarily a proxy of species richness. Important strategies to improve molecular identification of fungi are: (1) broadly document intraspecific and intragenomic variation of barcoding markers; (2) substantially expand sequence repositories, focusing on undersampled clades and missing taxa; (3) improve curation of sequence labels in primary repositories and substantially increase the number of sequences based on verified material; (4) link sequence data to digital information of voucher specimens including imagery. In parallel, technological improvements to genome sequencing offer promising alternatives to DNA barcoding in the future. Despite the prevalence of DNA-based fungal taxonomy, phenotype-based approaches remain an important strategy to catalog the global diversity of fungi and establish initial species hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new genus and two new species of Graphidaceae are described from tropical dry forests of Mexico, based on morphological and molecular data of the mtSSU, nuLSU and ITS markers. The new genus Jocatoa in subfamily Graphidoideae is described to accommodate the species Graphis agminalis (syn.: Medusulina texana), previously known from Colombia and North America. The new genus resembles Diorygma but differs by having simple paraphyses tips that do not form an epithecium. Jocatoa agminalis is similar to Diorygma monophorum but differs by having larger ascospores, hypostictic and stictic acids and by the type of paraphysis tips. In subfamily Redonographoideae, the two new species Gymnographopsis corticicola and Redonographa parvispora are described, representing the first corticolous species in the subfamily. Gymnographopsis corticicola is characterized by the smallest spores in the genus, the presence of norstictic acid, and a rectangular perispore that appears to be a newly recognized character state in fungi. Redonographa parvispora is characterized by warty periphysoids, small ascospores with 3 transverse septa, and norstictic acid. It also frequently develops a rectangular perispore. We present a phylogenetic analysis, based on the markers mtSSU, nuLSU and RPB2, that includes all the genera in the family Graphidaceae, with available sequences, to accommodate the new genus and to validate for the first time the position of Gymnographopsis. Diagnostic anatomical and ecological characters are discussed for Redonographoideae. Gymnographopsis is newly reported to the Northern Hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-lichenized, monospecific genus Papilionovela Aptroot, originally described from rain forest in Papua New Guinea, is reported here from several locations in Caatinga vegetation in Sergipe, Brazil. Phylogenetic analysis of the nuLSU marker within a three-locus phylogeny, as well as separate analysis of the fungal ITS barcoding marker, place Papilionovela in the Graphidaceae, subfamily Graphidoideae, with strong support. Within that subfamily, the genus clusters within tribe Wirthiotremateae, close to the Acanthothecis peplophora group and Carbacanthographis, albeit without support. We also reanalyzed the phylogenetic placement of two other, non-lichenized fungi previously associated with Graphidaceae, namely Furcaspora eucalypti and Rubikia evansii, and found them to form a separate, early diverging lineage in the family, here formally described as a new subfamily, Rubikioideae. Papilionovela is thus the first non-lichenized, saprobic lineage within the core Graphidaceae (subfamily Graphidoideae), providing a further independent, unequivocal case of delichenization within the order Ostropales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ｂａｓｅｄ ｏｎ ｔｈｅ ｓｐｅｃｉｍｅｎｓ ｃｏｌｌｅｃｔｅｄ ｆｒｏｍ Ｙｕｎｎａｎ Ｐｒｏｖｉｎｃｅ, ｔｈｅ ｌｉｃｈｅｎ ｇｅｎｕｓ Ｓｃｈｉｚｏｔｒｅｍａ Ｍａｎｇｏｌｄ ＆ Ｌｕｍｂｓｃｈ ｉｓ ｒｅｐｏｒｔｅｄ ａｓ ｎｅｗ ｔｏ Ｃｈｉｎａ, ｗｉｔｈ ｔｈｅ ｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ Ｓｃｈｉｚｏｔｒｅｍａ ｇｕａｄｅｌｏｕｐｅｎｓｅ (Ｈａｌｅ) Ｍａｎｇｏｌｄ ＆ Ｌｕｍｂｓｃｈ. Ａｍｏｎｇ Ｇｒａｐｈｉｄａｃｅａｅ, ｔｈｅ ｇｅｎｕｓ ｉｓ ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｚｅｄ ｂｙ ｉｔｓ ａｓｃｏｍａｔａ ｗｉｔｈ ｃｏｎｃｅｎｔｒｉｃａｌｌｙ ｌａｙｅｒｅｄ ｍａｒｇｉｎｓ ｃｏｍｐｏｓｅｄ ｏｆ ｃａｒｂｏｎｉｚｅｄ ｅｘｃｉｐｕｌａｒ ｒｅｍｎａｎｔｓ ｏｆ ｏｌｄｅｒ ｈｙｍｅｎｉａ; ｔｈｅ ｐｒｏｐｅｒ ｅｘｃｉｐｌｅ ｉｓ ｆｕｓｅｄ ｔｏ ｉｎｄｉｓｔｉｎｃｔｌｙ ｆｒｅｅ, ｐｅｒｉｐｈｙｓｏｉｄｓ ａｒｅ ｕｓｕａｌｌｙ ｐｒｅｓｅｎｔ, ａｎｄ ｔｈｅ ａｓｃｏｓｐｏｒｅｓ ａｒｅ ｔｒａｎｓｖｅｒｓｅｌｙ ｓｅｐｔａｔｅ ｔｏ ｍｕｒｉｆｏｒｍ. Ｔｈｅ ｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ Ｓ. ｇｕａｄｅｌｏｕｐｅｎｓｅ ｉｓ ａｌｓｏ ｎｅｗ ｔｏ Ａｓｉａ. Ｉｎ ａｄｄｉｔｉｏｎ, ｎｏｔｅｓ ｏｆ ｏｔｈｅｒ ｆｉｖｅ ｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｇｅｎｕｓ ａｒｅ ａｌｓｏ ｇｉｖｅｎ, ｗｉｔｈ ｅｃｏｌｏｇｙ ａｎｄ ｄｉｓｔｒｉｂｕｔｉｏｎ, ａｎｄ ｗｏｒｌｄ-ｗｉｄｅ ｋｅｙ ｔｏ ｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ ｏｆ Ｓｃｈｉｚｏｔｒｅｍａ ｉｓ ｄｅｓｃｒｉｂｅｄ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｐｒｅｓｅｎｔ ｐａｐｅｒ. Ａｌｌ ｔｈｅｓｅ ｒｅｓｕｌｔｓ ｐｒｏｖｉｄｅ ｂａｓｉｃ ｄａｔａ ｉｎｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎ ｆｏｒ ｔｈｅ ｔａｘｏｎｏｍｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｆａｍｉｌｙ Ｇｒａｐｈｉｄａｃｅａｅ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early‐successional status of lichens in modern terrestrial ecosystems, together with the role lichen‐mediated weathering plays in the carbon cycle, have contributed to the long and widely held assumption that lichens occupied early terrestrial ecosystems prior to the evolution of vascular plants and drove global change during this time. Their poor preservation potential and the classification of ambiguous fossils as lichens or other fungal–algal associations have further reinforced this view. As unambiguous fossil data are lacking to demonstrate the presence of lichens prior to vascular plants, we utilize an alternate approach to assess their historic presence in early terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we analyze new time‐calibrated phylogenies of ascomycete fungi and chlorophytan algae, that intensively sample lineages with lichen symbionts. Age estimates for several interacting clades show broad congruence and demonstrate that fungal origins of lichenization postdate the earliest tracheophytes. Coupled with the absence of unambiguous fossil data, our work finds no support for lichens having mediated global change during the Neoproterozoic‐early Paleozoic prior to vascular plants. We conclude by discussing our findings in the context of Neoproterozoic‐Paleozoic terrestrial ecosystem evolution and the paleoecological context in which vascular plants evolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The eco-evolutionary history of insular Caribbean Sticta was explored. • Species assemblages date back to the early Miocene and show strong biogeographic links to South America. • Colonization of the islands did not increase diversification rates. • Environmental variation most strongly explains taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover between island-level communities. Phylogenetic approaches to macroevolution have provided unique insight into evolutionary relationships, ancestral ranges, and diversification patterns for many taxa. Similar frameworks have also been developed to assess how environmental and/or spatial variables shape species diversity and distribution patterns at different spatial/temporal scales, but studies implementing these are still scarce for many groups, including lichens. Here, we combine phylogeny-based ancestral range reconstruction and diversification analysis with community phylogenetics to reconstruct evolutionary origins and assess patterns of taxonomic and phylogenetic relatedness between island communities of the lichenized fungal genus Sticta in the Caribbean. Sampling was carried out in the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico) and Lesser Antilles (Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Martinique). Data for six molecular loci were obtained for 64 candidate Caribbean species and used to perform both macroevolutionary phylogenetics, which also included worldwide taxa, and phylobetadiversity analyses, which emphasized island-level communities. Our work uncovered high levels of island endemism (∼59%) in Caribbean Sticta. We estimate initial colonization of the region occurred about 19 Mya from a South American ancestor. Reverse migration events by Caribbean lineages to South America were also inferred. We found no evidence for increased diversification rates associated with range expansion into the Caribbean. Taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover between island-level communities was most strongly correlated with environmental variation rather than with geographic distance. We observed less dissimilarity among communities from the Dominican Republic and Jamaica than between these islands and the Lesser Antilles/Puerto Rico. High levels of hidden diversity and endemism in Caribbean Sticta reaffirm that islands are crucial for the maintenance of global biodiversity of lichenized fungi. Altogether, our findings suggest that strong evolutionary links exist between Caribbean and South American biotas but at regional scales, species assemblages exhibit complex taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships that are determined by local environments and shared evolutionary histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptolechia carneolutea is the type species of the genus Cryptolechia , a rare taxon classified as endangered in the UK, now largely confined to ancient Fraxinus trees. The only tree with abundant growth of the species in one of its strongholds, the Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve in Devon, was blown over in a storm in April 2017, making it possible to collect material for molecular studies and transplant specimens to other Fraxinus trees in the area. The results of the phylogenetic analysis revealed C. carneolutea to be nested within the genus Gyalecta (Gyalectaceae). This further supports a broad circumscription of Gyalecta , after also including species previously placed in Belonia and Pachyphiale as proposed in other recent studies. It might be possible to introduce an alternative genus concept in Gyalectaceae , not schematically based on ascoma type and ascospore number, but presently not enough data are available to proceed with such a novel classification. A review of the taxonomic concept of Cryptolechia demonstrates that this name was used inconsistently in the past, and its possible inclusion in Gyalecta was anticipated by other authors. As the majority of species presently classified in Cryptolechia had been placed in Gyalecta before, only five new combinations are required to provide formal inclusion of all taxa in the latter genus: Gyalecta bicellulata (Kalb) D. Hawksw. & Lücking comb. nov., G. caudata (Kalb) D. Hawksw. & Lücking comb. nov., G. pittieriana (Kalb et al.) D. Hawksw. & Lücking comb. nov., G. saxatilis (Vězda) D. Hawksw. & Lücking comb. nov. and G. stellaris (Müll. Arg.) D. Hawksw. & Lücking comb. nov. We also supersede the previous lectotypification of Parmelia carneolutea Turner with the discovery of the holotype specimen in BM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A first integrative survey of the genus Usnea in the southern Philippines, taking into account morphological, anatomical, chemical and molecular characters, resulted in the recognition of 20 taxa, including three species new to science: Usnea angulata Ach., U. baileyi (Stirt.) Zahlbr., U. bismolliuscula Zahlbr., U. brasiliensis (Zahlbr.) Motyka, U. confusa Asah., U. croceorubescens Stirt., U. dasaea Stirt., U. himalayana C. Bab., U. krogiana P. Clerc, U. longissima Ach., U. nidifica Taylor, U. norsticornuta A. Gerlach & P. Clerc sp. nov. (characterized by a moderately thick cortex and by the presence of norstictic acid), U. paleograndisora A. Gerlach & P. Clerc sp. nov. (characterized by an orange subcortical pigmentation in the medulla, with enlarging soralia and a moderately thick and shiny cortex), U. pectinata Taylor, U. pygmoidea (Asahina) Y. Ohmura, U. rubicunda Stirt., U. rubrotincta (Stirt.) Zahlbr., U. spinulifera (Vain.) Motyka, U. subscabrosa Motyka and U. yoshihitoi P. Clerc & A. Gerlach sp. nov. (characterized by a lax medulla with non-conglutinated hyphae). Usnea krogiana is a new record for Asia; Usnea brasiliensis , Usnea confusa and U. croceorubescens are new records for the Philippines. This is the first phylogenetic study to include DNA sequences of Usnea from the Philippines. Molecular data from the ITS rDNA (76 newly generated sequences) are presented for most taxa except for U. himalayana , U. longissima and U. subscabrosa. At least six further taxa remain unidentified, awaiting the collection of additional specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reply to two recently published, multi-authored opinion papers by opponents of sequencebased nomenclature, namely Zamora et al. (IMA Fungus 9: 167-175,2018) and Thines et al. (IMA Fungus 9: 177-183, 2018). While we agree with some of the principal arguments brought forward by these authors, we address misconceptions and demonstrate that some of the presumed evidence presented in these papers has been wrongly interpreted. We disagree that allowing sequences as types would fundamentally alter the nature of types, since a similar nature of abstracted features as type is already allowed in the Code (Art. 40.5), namely an illustration. We also disagree that there is a high risk of introducing artifactual taxa, as this risk can be quantified at well below 5%, considering the various types of high-throughput sequencing errors. Contrary to apparently widespread misconceptions, sequence-based nomenclature cannot be based on similarity-derived OTUs and their consensus sequences, but must be derived from rigorous, multiple alignment-based phylogenetic methods and quantitative, single-marker species recognition algorithms, using original sequence reads; it is therefore identical in its approach to single-marker studies based on physical types, an approach allowed by the Code. We recognize the limitations of the ITS as a single fungal barcoding marker, but point out that these result in a conservative approach, with "false negatives" surpassing "false positives"; a desirable feature of sequence-based nomenclature. Sequence-based nomenclature does not aim at accurately resolving species, but at naming sequences that represent unknown fungal lineages so that these can serve as a means of communication, so ending the untenable situation of an exponentially growing number of unlabeled fungal sequences that fill online repositories. The risks are outweighed by the gains obtained by a reference library of named sequences spanning the full array of fungal diversity. Finally, we elaborate provisions in addition to our original proposal to amend the Code that would take care of the issues brought forward by opponents to this approach. In particular, taking up the idea of the Candidatus status of invalid, provisional names in prokaryote nomenclature, we propose a compromise that would allow valid publication of voucherless, sequence-based names in a consistent manner, but with the obligate designation as "nom. seq." (nomen sequentiae). Such names would not have priority over specimen- or culture-based names unless either epitypified with a physical type or adopted for protection on the recommendation of a committee of the International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi following evaluation based on strict quality control of the underlying studies based on established rules or recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is urgent need for a formal nomenclature of sequence-based, voucherless Fungi, given that environmental sequencing has accumulated more than one billion fungal ITS reads in the Sequence Read Archive, about 1,000 times as many as fungal ITS sequences in GenBank. These unnamed Fungi could help to bridge the gap between 115,000 to 140,000 currently accepted and 2.2 to 3.8 million predicted species, a gap that cannot realistically be filled using specimen or culture-based inventories. The Code never aimed at placing restrictions on the nature of characters chosen for taxonomy, and the requirement for physical types is now becoming a constraint on the advancement of science. We elaborate on the promises and pitfalls of sequence-based nomenclature and provide potential solutions to major concerns of the mycological community. Types of sequence-based taxa, which by default lack a physical specimen or culture, could be designated in four alternative ways: (1) the underlying sample ('bag' type), (2) the DNA extract, (3) fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), or (4) the type sequence itself. Only (4) would require changes to the Code and the latter would be the most straightforward approach, complying with three of the five principal functions of types better than physical specimens. A fifth way, representation of the sequence in an illustration, has been ruled as unacceptable in the Code. Potential flaws in sequence data are analogous to flaws in physical types, and artifacts are manageable if a stringent analytical approach is applied. Conceptual errors such as homoplasy, intragenomic variation, gene duplication, hybridization, and horizontal gene transfer, apply to all molecular approaches and cannot be used as a specific argument against sequence-based nomenclature. The potential impact of these phenomena is manageable, as phylogenetic species delimitation has worked satisfactorily in Fungi. The most serious shortcoming of sequence-based nomenclature is the likelihood of parallel classifications, either by describing taxa that already have names based on physical types, or by using different markers to delimit species within the same lineage. The probability of inadvertently establishing sequence-based species that have names available is between 20.4% and 1.5% depending on the number of globally predicted fungal species. This compares favourably to a historical error rate of about 30% based on physical types, and this rate could be reduced to practically zero by adding specific provisions to this approach in the Code. To avoid parallel classifications based on different markers, sequence-based nomenclature should be limited to a single marker, preferably the fungal ITS barcoding marker; this is possible since sequence-based nomenclature does not aim at accurate species delimitation but at naming lineages to generate a reference database, independent of whether these lineages represent species, closely related species complexes, or infraspecies. We argue that clustering methods are inappropriate for sequence-based nomenclature; this approach must instead use phylogenetic methods based on multiple alignments, combined with quantitative species recognition methods. We outline strategies to obtain higher-level phylogenies for ITS-based, voucherless species, including phylogenetic binning, 'hijacking' species delimitation methods, and temporal banding. We conclude that voucherless, sequence-based nomenclature is not a threat to specimen and culture-based fungal taxonomy, but a complementary approach capable of substantially closing the gap between known and predicted fungal diversity, an approach that requires careful work and high skill levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of Hawaiian species of the neotropical genus Lobariella. A single species was previously reported from the archipelago, the widespread neotropical L. crenulata. We targeted three loci of the mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal rDNA gene cistron (mtSSU, nuLSU, ITS) and also performed a molecular clock analysis. Our results show that L. crenulata s. str. is seemingly present in the archipelago based on older herbarium collections. However, Hawaiian Lobariella includes three additional, presumably endemic, species unrelated to L. crenulata and new to science: L. flynniana Lücking, Moncada & C. W. Sm., with richly branched marginal phyllidia giving the thallus a fruticose appearance; L. robusta Lücking, Moncada & C. W. Sm., with a rather thick thallus and abundant, large, laminal phyllidia; and L. sandwicensis Lücking, Moncada & C. W. Sm., with a delicate thallus producing apothecia. Lobariella flynniana represents a novel morphotype within the genus, thus far known only from Hawaii. All three species are very closely related, forming a well-supported, monophyletic clade in spite of their morphological differences, suggesting local micro-radiation. Molecular clock analysis indicates that this clade colonized the islands between 1–8 mya and diverged between 0–2 mya. We interpret recent colonization as one of the main reasons why this clade has not diversified further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular studies have shown the type collection of Omphalina oreades to be conspecific with a small brown basidiolichen from the Appalachian range in Newfoundland, both with 4-spored basidia. Two sequences deposited in GenBank, originally identified as O. grisella, fell in the same clade. Sequences of the type collection of Omphalia grisella, with 2-spored basidia, formed a sister clade together with two GenBank deposits, one identified as O. grisella and the other as Omphalina velutina. Omphalina oreades is recombined here as Lichenomphalia oreades comb. nov., and the species redescribed and illustrated. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS rDNA) from the algae associated with two collections of L. oreades fell within a highly supported clade with members of an undetermined species of Coccomyxa. The most abundant algal ribosomal large subunit sequence from granules at the base of a different collection matched GenBank sequences identified as Chloroidium ellipsoideum, which is probably either a free-living algal species or a partner to a species of Trapeliopsis. The second most abundant sequence matched Coccomyxa subellipsoidea and is the most likely photobiont of L. oreades. Further studies are required to elucidate the relationship of L. velutina to these taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterocyphelium is a mazaediate genus containing a single species, H. leucampyx. The species was originally described from Cuba within the genus Trachylia (Arthoniales, Arthoniaceae) and later placed in various genera of the collective order Caliciales s. lat. For the past three decades, Heterocyphelium was considered an orphaned genus (incertae sedis) within the Ascomycota, since morphology alone could not resolve its systematic position. In this study, we added molecular data with the aim of resolving this uncertainty. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of newly generated sequence data from the mitochondrial ribosomal RNA small subunit (mtSSU) and the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit gene (RPB2) provide clear evidence that Heterocyphelium leucampyx is nested within the order Arthoniales, in the family Lecanographaceae, sister to the genus Alyxoria. Heterocyphelium is a further example of parallel evolution of passive spore dispersal, prototunicate asci and the occurrence of a mazaedium in the Ascomycota, and another calicioid genus whose systematic placement could be eventually clarified by means of molecular data. Heterocyphelium is the fourth mazaediate genus in Arthoniales, in addition to Sporostigma, Tylophorella and Tylophoron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

21 new records of lichens from the family Graphidoideae (Graphidaceae) for Colombia and seven for the state of Valle del Cauca are presented. These new reports correspond to the genera Ampliotrema, Chapsa, Gyrotrema, Myriotrema, Ocellularia, Stegobolus, Thelotrema, and Wirthiotrema. These records expand the list of known species for the country of Ampliotrema to 5, Chapsa to 14, Gyrotrema to 3, Myriotrema to 11, Ocellularia to 29, Stegobolus to 7, and s to 2. All these species are conservation indicators for tropical humid forests, for they are found only in low elevation humid forests that are in very good state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of continuing studies on the Graphidaceae in China, the status of all taxa traditionally assigned to the genus Graphina reported from China are resolved in the present paper. Five new combinations are made, namely Diorygma isabellinum (Zahlbr.) Z.F. Jia & Lücking, comb. nov., Fissurina adscribens (Nyl.) Z.F. Jia & Lücking, comb. nov., Graphis lecanactiformis (Zahlbr.) Z.F. Jia & Lücking, comb. nov., Phaeographis haloniata (Zahlbr.) Z.F. Jia & Lücking, comb. nov. and Platygramme taiwanensis (J.C. Wei) Z.F. Jia & Lucking, comb. nov. Five new synonymies were found: Graphina olivascens Zahlbr. (= Fissurina adscribens), Graphina plumbicolor Zahlbr. (= Phaeographis haloniata), Graphina roridula Zahlbr. and its variety platypoda Zahlbr. [= Diorygma pachygraphum (Nyl.) Kalb, Staiger & Elix], and Graphina taiwanensis f. obscurata J.C. Wei (= Platygramme taiwanensis). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of ongoing studies of the lichen family Graphidaceae in China, the status of all taxa traditionally assigned to the genus Phaeographina reported from China is resolved in the present paper. Five new combinations are proposed: Phaeographis pleiospora (Zahlbr.) Z.F. Jia & Lücking, comb. nov., Platygramme elaeoplaca (Zahlbr.) Z.F. Jia & Lücking, comb. nov., Platythecium maximum (Groenh.) Z.F. Jia & Lücking, comb. nov., P. pyrrhochroa (Mont. & Bosch) Z.F. Jia & Lücking, comb. nov., and Sarcographina heterospora (Nyl.) Z.F. Jia & Lücking, comb. nov. Six new synonyms are established: Phaeographina callospora Zahlbr. [= Diorygma hieroglyphicum (Pers.) Staiger & Kalb], P. fukiensis Zahlbr. [= Pallidogramme chrysenteron (Mont.) Staiger, Kalb & Lücking], P. fukiensis var. substriata Zahlbr. [= Pallidogramme chrysenteron (Mont.) Staiger, Kalb & Lücking], P. granulans Zahlbr. [= Platygramme platyloma (Müll. Arg.) M. Nakan. & Kashiw.], P. pluvisilvarum Zahlbr. [= Graphis alpestris (Zahlbr.) Staiger], and P. valida Zahlbr. [= Thecographa prosiliens (Mont. & Bosch) A. Massal.]. Two additional synonyms are reported: Phaeographina subrigida (Nyl.) Zahlbr. is synonymized under Platygramme platyloma (Müll. Arg.) M. Nakan. & Kashiw., and Platythecium dimorphodes (Nyl.) Staiger under Platythecium pyrrhochroum (Mont. & Bosch) Z.F. Jia & Lücking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide an expanded and updated, 2-locus phylogeny (mtSSU, nuLSU) of the lichenized fungal family Trypetheliaceae, with a total of 196 ingroup OTUs, in order to further refine generic delimitations and species concepts in this family. As a result, the following 15 clades are recognized as separate genera, including five newly established genera: Aptrootia, Architrypethelium, Astrothelium (including the bulk of corticate species with astrothelioid ascospores; synonyms: Campylothelium, Cryptothelium, Laurera), Bathelium s. str. (excluding B. degenerans and relatives which fall into Astrothelium), the reinstated Bogoriella (for tropical, lichenized species previously placed in Mycomicrothelia), Constrictolumina gen. nov. (for tropical, lichenized species of Arthopyrenia), Dictyomeridium gen. nov. (for a subgroup of species with muriform ascospores previously placed in Polymeridium), Julella (provisionally, as the type species remains unsequenced), Marcelaria (Laurera purpurina complex), Nigrovothelium gen. nov. (for the Trypethelium tropicum group), Novomicrothelia gen. nov. (for an additional species previously placed in Mycomicrothelia), Polymeridium s. str., Pseudopyrenula, Trypethelium s. str. (T. eluteriae group), and Viridothelium gen. nov. (for the Trypethelium virens group). All recognized genera are phenotypically characterized and a discussion on the evolution of phenotypic features in the family is given. Based on the obtained phylogeny, species delimitations are revised and the importance of characters such as thallus morphology, hymenial inspersion, and secondary chemistry for taxonomic purposes is discussed, resulting in a refined species concept. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A revisionary synopsis is presented for the family Trypetheliaceae, based on a separately published phylogenetic analysis of a large number of species, morpho-anatomical and chemical study of extensive material, and revision of numerous type specimens. A total of 418 species is formally accepted in this synopsis, distributed among 15 genera as follows: Aptrootia (3), Architrypethelium (7), Astrothelium (242), Bathelium (16), Bogoriella (29), Constrictolumina (9), Dictyomeridium (7), Distothelia (3), Marcelaria (3), Nigrovothelium (2), Novomicrothelia (1), Polymeridium (50), Pseudopyrenula (20), Trypethelium (16), and Viridothelium (10). All accepted genera, including new genera described separately in this issue, are keyed out and briefly described and discussed, and keys are provided for all accepted species within each genus. Entries with full synonymy and brief descriptions, and in part also discussions, are provided for all accepted species, except those newly described elsewhere in this issue, which are cross-referenced in the corresponding keys. The description of the newly defined genera takes into account phylogeny in combination with morpho-anatomical features with the result that they are mostly recognizable by a combination of thallus, ascoma and ascospore features. Most species previously assigned to the genera Astrothelium, Campylothelium, Cryptothelium, and Trypethelium, based on a schematic concept of ascoma morphology and ascospore septation, are now included in a single genus, Astrothelium, with highly variable ascoma morphology and ascospore septation but invariably with astrothelioid ascospores (at least when young), that is diamond-shaped lumina, and a well-developed, corticate, usually olive-green thallus that often covers the ascomata. While the genera Aptrootia (large, brown, muriform ascospores), Architrypethelium (large, mostly 3-septate ascospores), and Pseudopyrenula (ecorticate, white thalli and astrothelioid ascospores) are maintained, Trypethelium is redefined to include species with raised, pseudostromatic ascomata and multiseptate ascospores with thin septa. The sister group of Trypethelium is the genus Marcelaria, with brightly coloured pseudostromata and muriform ascospores. Bathelium is now limited to species with strongly raised, fully exposed pseudostromata and septate to muriform ascospores with thin septa. Several genera are recognized for more basal lineages with mostly ecorticate, white thalli and solitary, exposed ascomata previously assigned to Arthopyrenia, Mycomicrothelia and Polymeridium, viz. Bogoriella, Constrictolumina, Dictyomeridium, and Novomicrothelia. In addition, separate genera are accepted for the Trypethelium tropicum (Nigrovothelium) and T. virens (Viridothelium) groups. In addition, a refined species concept resulting from phylogenetic studies is employed which pays particular attention to morphological features of the thallus and ascomata. Of a total of 526 names checked, 107 remain synonyms of accepted names and a further eight are newly excluded from the family. Based on these redispositions, the following 146 new combinations are proposed, including reinstatement of numerous names previously subsumed into synonymy: Architrypethelium columbianum (Nyl.) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. grande (Kremp.) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., Astrothelium aeneum (Eschw.) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. alboverrucum (Makhija & Patw.) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. amazonum (R. C. Harris) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. ambiguum (Malme) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. andamanicum (Makhija & Patw.) Aptroot comb. nov., A. annulare (Spreng.) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. aurantiacum (Makhija & Patw) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. auratum (R. C. Harris) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. aureomaculatum (Vain.) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. basilicum (Kremp.) Aptroot & Lücking comb. nov., A. bicolor (Taylor) ... [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Based on separately obtained and analyzed molecular data and within the framework of a global revision of the family Trypetheliaceae, 21 new species are described, from the Neotropics and tropical Asia, in the genera Architrypethelium (1), Astrothelium (15), Bathelium (1), Nigrovothelium (1), Trypethelium (1), and Viridothelium (2), namely: Architrypethelium lauropaluanum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. hyalinum in the perithecia immersed between coarse thallus verrucae and in the additional ascospore septa; Astrothelium aurantiacocinereum Lücking, Naksuwankul & Lumbsch sp. nov., differing from A. aeneum in the prominent, well-delimited, trypethelioid pseudostromata and the absence of pigment on the thallus surface, as well as in the barely lichenized thallus; A. carassense Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. purpurascens in orange, K+ red pseudostroma pigment and the slightly larger ascospores; A. cryptolucens Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & N. Salazar sp. nov., differing from A. carrascoense in the inspersed hymenium; A. fijiense Lücking, Naksuwankul & Lumbsch sp. nov., differing from A. cinereorosellum in the presence of lichexanthone on the well-delimited pseudostromata and in the slightly shorter ascospores; A. laevithallinum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. endochryseum in the smooth thallus; A. leucosessile Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Aptroot sp. nov., differing from A. phlyctaena in the conspicuous, sessile pseudostromata; A. macrostomoides Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Benatti sp. nov., differing from A. macrostomum in the larger ascospores; A. megacrypticum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & N. Salazar sp. nov., differing from A. longisporum in the single-spored asci and larger ascospores; A. nicaraguense Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & T. Orozco sp. nov., differing from A. gigantosporum in the smaller ascospores; A. norisianum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Aptroot sp. nov., differing from A. sepultum in the distinct, well-delimited pseudostromata; A. obtectum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Benatti sp. nov., differing from A. nigrocacuminum in the smaller ascospores; A. sordithecium Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. leucothelium in the inspersed hymenium and the absence of lichexanthone from the thallus surface outside the pseudostromata; A. subendochryseum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Marcelli sp. nov., differing from A. endochryseum in the absence of pigment in the pseudostromata and the lateral thallus cover of the pseudostromata; A. subinterjectum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Jungbluth sp. nov., differing from A. obtectum in the smaller pseudostromata and smaller ascospores, and from A. interjectum in the diffuse pseudostromata and smaller ascospores; Bathelium porinosporum Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & Gueidan sp. nov., differing from other Bathelium species in the 3-septate, euseptate ascospores; Nigrovothelium bullatum Lücking, Upreti & Lumbsch sp. nov., differing from N. tropicum in the bullate thallus; Trypethelium tolimense Lücking, Moncada & M. Gut. sp. nov., differing from T. xanthoplatystomum in the absence of a yellow-orange pigment on the pseudostromata and the K+ yellow (not K+ red) medullary pigment; Viridothelium tricolor Lücking, M. P. Nelsen & N. Salazar sp. nov., characterized by black perithecia with a lateral ostiole immersed in white pseudostromata strongly contrasting with the surrounding brown thallus, in combination with 2-spored asci and large, muriform ascospores; and V. vonkonratii Lücking, Naksuwankul & Lumbsch sp. nov., differing from V. virens in larger ascospores and mostly solitary ascomata. All species are illustrated and their taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships are discussed. ITS barcoding sequences are reported for five specimens of Bathelium porinosporum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The new name Neosergipea M. Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot is introduced to replace Sergipea M. Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot, which is a later homonym of Sergipea Regali, Uesugui & Santos, a genus of fossil pollen. Using the small subunit of the mitochondrial rDNA cistron, we present an updated phylogeny of the Enterographa clade in Roccellaceae which includes the genera Dichosporidium, Enterographa, Erythrodecton, Mazosia, and Neosergipea. While in a previous analysis the relationship between Neosergipea and Dichosporidium was unresolved, our results suggest Neosergipea to be an unsupported sister to Dichosporidium s. lat. The latter potentially represents two distinct genera, differing in ascospore type. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We present a taxonomic revision of the lichenized basidiomycete genus Acantholichen, species of which produce a characteristic blue-gray, microsquamulose thallus with spiny apical hyphal cells known as acanthohyphidia. Since its discovery, the genus was thought to be monospecific, only including the generic type, A. pannarioides. However, a detailed morphological and anatomical study of recently collected specimens from the Galápagos, Costa Rica, Brazil and Colombia, combined with a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) region and 28S of the nuc rDNA and RPB2 sequences, revealed a much more diverse and widespread species assemblage. Based on the results of these analyses, we describe five new species in the genus: A. albomarginatus, A. campestris, A. galapagoensis, A. sorediatus and A. variabilis. We also provide an identification key to all species, anatomical and morphological descriptions, photographs and a table comparing main characters of each species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular phylogenetic analysis presents two challenges when it is transformed into formal classifications: the taxonomic challenge (whether and how to distinguish monophyletic sister clades or how to deal with paraphyletic grades) and the nomenclatural challenge (naming clades, i.e. placing name-giving types accurately on a tree). One approach to the latter is morphology-based phylogenetic binning, which places specimens based on phenotypic features on a molecular tree and assigns uncertainty values to alternative placement options. Here, we use the example of the lichenized fungal genus L eptotrema to demonstrate how morphology-based phylogenetic binning can help to clarify taxonomic and nomenclatural issues when naming phylogenetically defined entities. L eptotrema is known for a common and widespread species, L . wightii, and phylogenetic analyses have been based exclusively on this species, including the recognition of a separate tribe, Leptotremateae. However, the genus name L eptotrema and the tribal name Leptotremateae are based on the name L . zollingeri, which was initially considered to be a synonym of L . wightii, but has recently been shown to represent a distinct species. As L . zollingeri differs considerably in phenotypic features from L . wightii, it can be questioned whether the two are at all related or whether L . zollingeri is actually closer to the genera M yriotrema and O cellularia in tribe Ocellularieae. The solution to this problem is not trivial, as it affects the correct use of the names Leptotrema and Leptotremateae. Morphology-based phylogenetic binning indeed demonstrated that L . zollingeri clusters with the M yriotrema album group in tribe Ocellularieae with high support. Hence, in contrast with current use, the name L eptotrema becomes available for the M . album group and Leptotremateae becomes a synonym of Ocellularieae. As a consequence, the new names S anguinotrema and Sanguinotremateae are introduced to accommodate L . wightii and the tribe including this species and the genus R eimnitzia. Although the studied case is specific to lichen fungi, the approach can be used in a much broader context with any kind of taxon or organism. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 179, 436-443. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. With more than 2000 described species, Graphidaceae represents one of the largest families of lichenized fungi. The underlying causes for such a high level of diversity have not yet been studied in detail. Two possible drivers of high diversity in this group include its predominantly tropical habitat, a major factor for high species richness in other groups of organisms, and the presence of columella, a unique trait within this family. Methodology. We employed a combination of comparative methods to investigate possible factors that are associated with the hyperdiverse nature of the family, including modeling evolutionary diversity using stepwise Akaike information criterion (MEDUSA) to identify clades with an increased diversification rate and binary state speciation and extinction (BiSSE) analysis to determine whether diversification rates change in association with selected character states. Pivotal results. BiSSE analysis revealed a significantly higher diversification rate in the lineages with presence of a columella, while there was no significant difference in diversification rates between tropical and nontropical lineages. A further analysis with MEDUSA also identified two or three diversification rate shifts, one of which occurred in the Ocellularia clade, with a large number of species with a columella. Conclusions. The results suggest a stronger role of the columella, compared to tropical habitat, in driving high levels of diversification in the family. The possible ecomorphological importance of columella structures is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new species from Cuba are described in the genus Ocellularia, emphasizing the importance of the Caribbean for the diversification of lichen fungi and the level of unrecognized species richness in Ocellularia. Three of the new species belong in the O. bahiana group: O. coronata Lücking & Pérez-Ortega, differing from O. bahiana by the ridged to folded thallus, vertically ridged apothecia, and complex columella largely covering the disc; O. fuscospora Lücking & Pérez-Ortega, differing from O. urceolaris in the immersed to erumpent, columellate apothecia; and O. radiata Lücking, differing from O. bahiana in the complex, radiating columella filling the disc. In contrast, Ocellularia nigririmis Lücking & Pérez-Ortega is a species of the O. papillata morphodeme with immersed apothecia with a small, black-rimmed pore filled by a greyish black columella, and small ascospores. We also clarify the taxonomy and nomenclature of columellate taxa in the O. bahiana group and provide a key to all thelotremoid Graphidaceae with small, brown, (sub-)muriform ascospores. The new combination Ocellularia lunensis (Nagarkar & Hale) Lücking is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphis scripta, or script lichen, is a well-known species of crustose lichenized fungi, widely distributed in the temperate region of the Northern Hemisphere. It is now considered to be a species complex, but because of the lack of secondary chemistry and paucity of measurable morphological characters, species delimitation within the complex has been challenging and is thus far based on apothecium and ascospore morphology. In this study, we employed molecular as well as morphological data to assess phylogenetic structure and delimitation of lineages within the G. scripta complex. We generated sequences for four genetic markers (mtSSU, nuLSU, RPB2, and EF-1) and performed phylogenetic analyses. The resulting trees were used to determine the number of distinct lineages by applying a general mixed Yule-coalescent (GMYC) model and species tree estimation through maximum likelihood (STEM). Our analyses suggest between six and seven putative species within the G. scripta complex. However, these did not correspond to the taxa that were recently distinguished based on apothecium morphology and could not be circumscribed with the morphological characters that were traditionally used in the classification of the complex. Any formal taxonomic treatment will require additional sampling and evaluation of additional traits that potentially can characterize these clades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the phylogenetic status of Phlyctis atomella, known from theWestern Ghats, based on an integrative taxonomic approach which included morphology, anatomy, chemistry, and molecular phylogeny. Despite the existence of 26 documented species in Phlyctis worldwide, molecular sequence data is presently accessible solely for five of these species. Analysis based on concatenated ITS and mtSSU data suggests the placement of P. atomella within Phlyctis either as an early diverging lineage or a delineated poorly supported sister to P. boliviensis. This is the first molecular phylogenetic study of the crustose lichen genus Phlyctis based on fresh collections from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eugeniella palleola, Graphis paraschiffneri, and Malmidea cineracea are described from Nicaragua. Eugeniella palleola is characterized by having pale apothecial discs and prominent, white margins, and producing a complex chemistry including atranorin, stictic and norstictic acids, and an unknown substance. Graphis paraschiffneri has lirellae with a lateral thalline margin, striate labia, a completely carbonized excipulum, transversely septate ascospores, and contains norstictic acid in the thallus. Malmidea cineracea is characterized by a granulose-isidiate thallus with a yellowish medulla and a compact, crystal-encrusted excipulum. Malmidea nigromarginata and M. piperina are proposed as new combinations. Keys are presented to all known species of Eugeniella (9) and Malmidea (50). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the exemplification and reinstatement of lichens Thelephora pavonia Sw. and Cora ciferrii. It mentions that Thelephora is considered a substitute for Ulva montana Sw. and a typified specimen. An overview of the basidiolichen fungus Dictyonema glabratum or Cora pavonia (Sw.) is also presented.

We sequenced over 200 recent specimens of Lecanora s.lat. from Brazil, delimiting 28 species in our material. Many seem to represent undescribed species, some of which being morphologically and chemically similar to each other or to already described species. Here, we present a phylogenetic analysis based on ITS, including our specimens and GenBank data. We describe nine new species. The purpose of the paper is to illustrate the diversity of the genus in Brazil, not to focus on segregate genera. However, we found that all Vainionora species cluster together and these will be treated separately. Other Lecanora species with dark hypothecium clustered in several different clades. Species with the morphology of Lecanora caesiorubella, in which currently several subspecies with different chemistry and distribution are recognized, fall apart in different, distantly related clades, so they cannot be regarded as subspecies but should be recognized at species level. A key is given for the Lecanora species from Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of Fungi is estimated at between 1.5 and 3 million. Lichenized species are thought to make up a comparatively small portion of this figure, with unrecognized species richness hidden among little-studied, tropical microlichens. Recent findings, however, suggest that some macrolichens contain a large number of unrecognized taxa, increasing known species richness by an order of magnitude or more. Here we report the existence of at least 126 species in what until recently was believed to be a single taxon: the basidiolichen fungus Dictyonema glabratum, also known as Cora pavonia. Notably, these species are not cryptic but morphologically distinct. A predictive model suggests an even larger number, with more than 400 species. These results call into question species concepts in presumably well-known macrolichens and demonstrate the need for accurately documenting such species richness, given the importance of these lichens in endangered ecosystems such as paramos and the alarming potential for species losses throughout the tropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lichenized basidiomycete known as Dictyonemainterruptum is a widely distributed but rare, oceanic, western European species known from the British Isles, the Pyrenees, the Azores, and Madeira. Unfortunately, the name has never been validly published. The species was first described in the cyanobacterial genus Calothrix in 1833, which predates the starting point of heterocystous bacterial nomenclature, 1 January 1886. The epithet was never subsequently included in a validly published binomial and its combination into Dictyonema was therefore invalid as well. There was also controversy about whether the epithet applied to the cyanobacterial photobiont (as originally intended) or to the lichen fungus (as proposed later). Because of the lack of a valid description for this epithet, we have chosen to establish a new name, Dictyonema coppinsii Lücking, Barrie & Genney, for the lichenized fungus at hand, whereas the cyanobacterial photobiont is validated with the genus name Rhizonema Lücking & Barrie, adopting the epithet interruptum for it, and placed in a separate family, Rhizonemataceae Büdel & Kauff ex Lücking & Barrie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lichen-forming fungal family Myeloconidaceae, with the single genus Myeloconis, has been suggested to share affinities with Porinaceae (Lecanoromycetes: Ostropales). We examined its position relative to this family by using molecular data from the mitochondrial small-subunit and nuclear large-subunit rDNA. Our results revealed that Myeloconis forms a monophyletic group nested within Porinaceae, closely related to Porina farinosa. Neither Porina s.str. nor Clathroporina sensu Harris form monophyletic groups; instead, two strongly supported clades were recovered, which differ in ascospore septation (septate v. muriform), with the clade producing muriform ascospores including Myeloconis. We therefore reduce Myeloconidaceae to synonymy with Porinaceae; however, because generic delimitations within Porinaceae remain unclear, we retain Myeloconis as a separate genus within the family. The species concept currently used in the genus, based largely on secondary metabolites and ascospore measurements, is supported by the phylogeny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]