A contribution to the taxonomy of the genus Rinodina (Physciaceae, lichenized Ascomycotina) using combined ITS and mtSSU rDNA data

To test the phylogenetic position of phenotypically peculiar species in the Physciaceae we generated 47 new sequences (26 of nrITS region and 21 of mtSSU rDNA) from 19 crustose taxa of Physciaceae mainly from the genus Rinodina. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the Buellia and Physcia groups. The analysis revealed a considerable variability of characters traditionally used for classification, especially in the delimitation of the genera Buellia and Rinodina. While ascus types agree well with the distinction of the Buellia and Physcia groups, none of the other traditional characters, including excipulum type and ascospore thickening, were consistent within subclades of the Physcia group. We suggest that both excipulum type and ascospore characters are rather dynamic in the evolution of Rinodina species and only appear consistent in morphologically more complex foliose and fruticose groups, which are characterized by thallus characters not present in the crustose groups. Two recent taxonomic changes are supported by molecular characters: Endohyalina insularis (syn. 'Rinodina' insularis) and Rinodina lindingeri (syn. 'Buellia' lindingeri). In addition Rinodina parvula (syn. 'Buellia' parvula) is reinstated. New records for Endohyalina brandii, E. diederichii, E. insularis and Rinodina albana are presented.     

Rinodina canariensis (lichenized Ascomycetes, Physciaceae), a new species parasitic on crustose lichens in Macaronesia and the Mediterranean region

A new species, Rinodina canariensis (lichenized Ascomycetes, Physciaceae), is described. It usually grows parasitically on saxicolous crustose lichens in Macaronesia and in the Mediterranean region. It is well characterized chemically by the presence of gyrophoric acid. The characters of the new species are compared with those of other taxa of the genus Rinodina containing gyrophoric acid. Rinodina alba and R. atrocinerea are reported from the island of Madeira for the first time. A short survey of lichen-parasitic species of Rinodina is given.     

Molecular and morphological evolution in the Physciaceae (Lecanorales,lichenized Ascomycotina), with special emphasis on the genus Rinodina

Abstract:A phylogenetic hypothesis based on nuclear ITS sequence data is presented for the familyPhysciaceae , based on various representatives of foliose and fruticose groups and a number of species selected from the crustose genera Rinodina and Buellia s.l. The analysis supports the monophyly of the Physcia - and theBuellia -groups. This is in agreement with existing morphological evidence, particularly ascus characters. ThePhyscia group in the analysis includes the genera Anaptychia, Heterodermia, Hyperphyscia,Mobergia , Phaeophyscia, Phaeorrhiza, Physcia, Physconia, Rinodina, andRinodinella , while the Buellia group includes Amandinea, Buellia and Diploicia. The genera Physcia, Phaeophyscia, Phaeorrhiza and Rinodinella were well supported as monophyletic groups. The support for Physconia is low. Rinodina and Buellia are not supported as monophyletic genera. In agreement with ascus and ascospore characters, Buellia lindingeri is placed within the Rinodina group, close to R. lecanorina. The genus Amandinea as currently circumscribed was not supported as a monophyletic group. The analysis confirms results from other lichen families that foliose members have evolved more than once from crustose lichens.Rinodina and Rinodinella species without chemical compounds in their thalli form the sister group toPhaeophyscia , and both groups form a monophyletic assemblage. A more detailed analysis of the Physcia group is presented. Whilst several of the foliose genera were well supported, there is only poor support for traditionally accepted crustose genera. The taxonomic implications of these findings are discussed.     

A monograph of the genus Vulpicida (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycetes)

The genus Vulpicida is monographcd. Its delimitation and nomenclature is revised. The following 6 species are accepted: V. cunudensb, V. juniperinus. V. pinastri, V. tilesii, V. rubulosus and V. viridis . The study includes anatomy, and ontogeny of ascomata, as well as chemical studies. Secondary metabolites was studied with TLC and HPLC, and isozymcs by isoelectric focusing. The ecology. distribution and probahle evolution of the taxa are discussed and compared with other lichens and phorophytes. The systematic position of the genus is investigated by cladistic methods. Keys for the identification of the genus and the species and distrihution maps and photos of the species are included. The new combination Vulpicidu pinustri var. soralifera is made.     

Diploicia africana comb. nov. (lichenized Ascomycetes, Physciaceae), an endemic species from the Cape Province (South Africa)

The saxicolous lichenized ascomycete Diploicia africana comb. nov. (Physciaceae) is endemic in the Cape Floral Kingdom (South Africa). Its taxonomy, morphology, chemistry, biogeography, and ecology is discussed. The most important characters of the genus Diploicia and the better known species of the genus are outlined.     

Additions to the genus Linocarpon (Ascomycetes: Hyponectriaceae)

Eleven new species in the genus linocarpon collected in Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines are described and illustrated. The new combination L. Jreycinetiae (Rehm) K.D. Hyde is made. Twenty-three species are now recognized in Linocarpon and a key to these species is provided.     

Aspicilia goettweigensis (Megasporaceae,lichenized Ascomycetes) – a poorly known and overlooked species in Europe and Russia

Aspicilia goettweigensis is a poorly known species from xerothermic siliceous rocks in Europe. It is considered to be common in the Czech Republic and it is new to Hungary and Russia. The main diagnostic character is formation of cracked, popcorn‐like, areoles in the central parts of the thalli. Analysis of nrITS sequences revealed its close relationship to Aspicilia subdepressa and A. volcanica. TLC revealed stictic acid in analysed A. goettweigensis samples. A key to non‐lobate Aspicilia with stictic acid known from Europe is provided.     

Three newOphioceras species (Ascomycetes) from the tropics

Ophioceras guttulatum sp. nov.,O. hongkongense sp. nov. andO. palmae sp. nov. are described and illustrated from decaying terrestrial palms and woody substrates in freshwater habitats. They all have black perithecia with long necks, cylindrical asci with refractive apical rings and filiform ascospores.     

Kroswia,a new genus in the Pannariaceae (lichenized ascomycetes)

Abstract:A characteristic, sterile lichen genus with homoiomerous thallus containing terpenoids is described, with one subtropical species, Kroswia crystalliferum sp. nov., occurring scattered in Africa from Kenya south to the Cape, southern India (with Sri Lanka) and Taiwan. Another temperate species, Kroswia gemmascens (Nyl.) comb. nov., is restricted to Eastern Asia. In spite of its gelatinous, homoiomerous thallus, the genus appears to belong to thePannariaceae .     

Morphology and taxonomy of chain-forming species of the genus Cochlodinium (Dinophyceae)

The morphology of an unarmored chain-forming harmful dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides and its similar species such as Cochlodinium catenatum, Cochlodinium fulvescens, and Cochlodinium convolutum was carefully observed, emphasizing the single cell stage for clarifying taxonomically important morphological features. To differentiate C. polykrikoides from C. convolutum, the shape and the position of the nucleus are useful characters. C. polykrikoides also differs from C. fulvescens in being smaller in size, possessing many rod-shaped chloroplasts and having the sulcus running just below the cingulum on the dorsal surface. Careful observation of the ichnotype of C. catenatum suggests that C. catenatum sensu Kofoid and Swezy collected from off La Jolla, CA, USA, is not identical to C. catenatum sensu Okamura and is probably a different species, in having no chloroplasts and a nucleus positioned at the center of the cell. In addition, C. polykrikoides has many morphological features in common with C. catenatum sensu Okamura except for slightly elongate cells and is probably a junior synonym of this species.     

A new circumscription of the lichen genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nephromopsis</Emphasis> (Parmeliaceae,lichenized Ascomycetes)

The phylogeny of the cetrarioid lichens with bifusiform spermatia and dorsiventral thalli which contain usnic acid is reanalysed using three parts of the genome, ITS rDNA, β-tubulin and GAPDH sequences. Molecular data from five cetrarioid species are presented for the first time, and 13 new sequences are combined with sequences from the gene bank to delimit the genus Nephromopsis. A monophyletic clade of Nephromopsis, Tuckneraria, ‘Cetraria’ leucostigma and ‘C.’ melaloma is identified and circumscribed as one genus, Nephromopsis, which now includes 19 species. Four new combinations are presented. A key to the species is provided.     

New species of Hypocreales (Fungi,Ascomycetes)

The new ascomycetes Hypomyces succineus, Podostroma eperuae, and Nectria phialotrichi are proposed. Hypomyces succineus occurs on basidiomata of Pholiota sp. in New York; its anamorph is described as the new species Cladobotryum succineum. Podostroma eperuae occurs on decaying pods of a species of Eperua found in French Guiana and Guyana. Its anamorph is unknown. Nectria phialotrichi occurs on perithecia of Nectria sp. and bark in Guyana; its anamorph is referred to the anamorph genus Onychophora.     

The genus Dermatocarpon (Verrucariales, lichenized Ascomycotina) in the Nordic countries

Dermatocarpon (Verrucariales, lichenized Ascomycotina) in the Nordic countries is revised. The following 10 species occur: D. bachmannii, D. deminuens, D. leptophyllodes, D. leptophyllum, D. linkolae, D. luridum, D. meiophyllizum, D. miniatum, D. polyphyllizum , and D. rivulorum. Three varieties of D. miniatum , viz. var. miniatum , var. cirsodes , and var. complicatum , are also discussed. A key to the species is given, and distribution maps for all species are supplied. Useful characters for the recognition of different species are discussed.     

Canoparmelia scrobicularis belongs to the genus Crespoa (Parmeliaceae,lichenized Ascomycota)

Canoparmelia scrobicularis is shown to be a member of the genus Crespoa and the new combination Crespoa scrobicularis is proposed. The species is described in detail with a discussion of its relationships to other species of Crespoa, especially Crespoa carneopruinata and Crespoa crozalsiana.     

Integrative taxonomy uncovers hidden species diversity in the rheophilic genus Potamometra (Hemiptera: Gerridae)

The genus Potamometra Bianchi, 1896 represents big rheophilic semi-aquatic bugs that typically inhabit middle-altitude mountainous streams. Here, we integrated molecular and morphological data for delimiting species boundaries and understanding the evolutionary history of the genus Potamometra. Twenty-seven complete mitochondrial genomes of Potamometra were sequenced, with samples representing most of the known geographically distributed locations around the Sichuan Basin. The results of different species delimitation methods (ABGD, bPTP, GMYC and BPP) based on the monolocus or multilocus data strongly supported the existence of two cryptic new species (Potamometra anderseni Zheng, Ye & Bu, sp. nov. and Potamometra zhengi Zheng, Ye & Bu, sp. nov.) although more entities were found in the tree-based delimitation methods. The two new species were successfully validated using morphological characters within a detailed taxonomic framework. Phylogenetic analyses supported the reciprocal monophyly of the seven highly node-supported clades, which were matched with the five known species and two new taxa. A novel gene arrangement pattern that two trnF (trnF1 and trnF2) genes separated by an intergenic spacer (IGS) were found in all the species except the sister group of Potamometra berezowskii Bianchi, 1896 and Potamometra linnavuorii Chen, Nieser & Bu, 2016. This gene rearrangement event could be explained by the tandem duplication and random loss (TDRL) model. Our study emphasized that the combination of molecular sequence data, morphological characters and mitochondrial structural information could improve the accuracy of species delimitation.     

Phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus Phylloporia (Hymenochaetales)

Based on 28 taxa, including six species of Phylloporia, and respectively one representative of 17 genera of the Hymenochaetales, a phylogenetic analysis of a region of the large subunit of the nuclear encoded ribosomal DNA was performed. Molecular sequence data as well as morphological and anatomical features show the genus to be monophyletic. Next related to Phylloporia is Fulvifomes. The phylogenetic relationships of Phylloporia are discussed. In addition the genus Phylloporia is monographed; 12 species are accepted and described with a key.     

Bacidina genus novum familiaeLecideaceae s. lat. (Ascomycetes lichenisati)

The following eleven species currently classified in the generaBacidia s. lat. andCatillaria s. lat. are transferred to the new genusBacidina Vězda gen. n. (Lecideaceae s. lat.):Bacidina apiahica (Müll. Arg.) comb. n.,B. chloroticula (Nyl.)Vězda etPoelt comb. n.,B. egenula (Nyl.) comb. n.,B. inundata (Fr.) comb. n.,B. mirabilis (Vězda) comb. n.,B. neglecta (Vězda) comb.n.,B. pallidocarnea (Müll. Arg.) comb. n.,B. phacodes (Koerb.) comb.n.,B. scutellifera (Vězda) comb.n.,B. vasakii (Vězda) comb.n., andB. ziamensis (Vězda) comb.n.