The Arthoniales is the second–largest group of lichen–forming fungi. A new phylogeny of Arthoniales based on mtSSU, nLSU and RPB2 sequence data is presented, with a focus on crustose representatives. A total of 145 taxa are analyzed including 64 species of Arthoniaceae. We obtained 198 new sequences for 83 specimens representing 71 taxa of Arthoniales. Arthoniaceae is recovered as polyphyletic, demonstrating that previous classifications do not reflect evolutionary patterns. Three phylogenetic lineages are identified: the Arthoniaceae clade, the Bryostigma clade and the Felipes clade. The Bryostigma clade is related to Arthoniaceae, while the Felipes clade shows close affinities to Chrysotrichaceae. Cryptotheciaceae is included as a paraphyletic grouping in Arthoniaceae. Lecanographaceae and the genera Felipes and Melarthonis are described. Bryostigma and Pachnolepia are reinstated for former Arthonia species, and Myriostigma for the Cryptothecia candida complex. Fouragea is reinstated for foliicolous Opegrapha species. Arthonia eos is described and the new combination Alyxoria mougeotii is made. A lectotype is selected for Spiloma fallax. Melaspilea granitophila belongs in Arthoniaceae and Arthonia mediella in Chrysotrichaceae. According to the phylogenetic hypothesis, lichen secondary chemistry, such as pulvinic acid derivates or red pigments, does not characterize monophyletic groups above the genus level. The parasitic life style in Arthoniaceae has evolved more than once. Parasitic species are found in four lineages of the Arthoniaceae clade and in the Bryostigma clade. Arthoniomycetes with chlorococcoid photobionts are restricted to the Bryostigma clade and Chrysotrichaceae, while the only saprophytic Arthonia species in the phylogeny are related to Arthonia radiata and group with lichenized taxa. The phylogenetic data provide a coherent framework for delineating further monophyletic groups in Arthoniaceae in the future.

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Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.

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Aims Climate change can substantially alter ecological communities. However, we hypothesized that, even if novel communities emerge, those communities may not be novel in terms of functional composition. To infer the processes associated with rising temperatures, we evaluated elevational taxonomic/functional turnover of plant and invertebrate communities. Because climate change interacts synergistically with other environmental factors, and therefore is not the sole driver of change in ecological communities, we also considered how the taxonomic/functional composition of the communities would be affected by mammalian overgrazing/browsing, which has become prominent in the study region.Location Shiretoko National Park, Shiretoko Peninsular, Hokkaido, Japan.Methods We investigated the diversity of eight groups of organisms (taxa) in forests of northern Japan, and calculated the distance decay of taxonomic/functional similarity (Sørensen's b-diversity) along an elevational gradient. A null model was used to separate functional turnover from taxonomic turnover. We then simulated how taxonomic/functional turnover along the gradient would be changed after non-random loss of species sensitive to mammalian herbivory.Results We found that each group showed elevational decay in taxonomic similarity. Along an elevational gradient, species groups structured by stronger dispersal limitation showed faster species turnover. This suggested differences in the process of climate-induced species reassembly among the groups. We also found that elevational turnover of communities based on functional traits tended to be lower than that based on taxonomic identity for the majority of the groups, supporting our hypothesis of functional redundancy across the elevational gradient. We thus speculated that climate-induced emergence of taxonomically novel communities may have limited influence on critical ecosystem processes supported by functional diversity. Furthermore, while random species loss did not change functional turnover, non-random loss of species attributable to mammalian herbivory substantially accelerated elevational functional turnover of the taxa. This suggested a possible loss of the functional redundancy of communities.Main conclusions Future communities may be novel not simply because climates are changing at unprecedented rates but also because of the synergetic influences of other environmental changes. Thus ecological processes may be more seriously affected in the future than is generally anticipated based on ª 2015 John Wiley

The genus Inoderma (Ach.) Gray is lectotypified with Inoderma byssaceum and resurrected for a small group of species in Arthoniaceae with elevated, white pruinose pycnidia, immersed to adnate white pruinose apothecia and a weakly gelatinized hymenium. Inoderma nipponicum is described from Japan, I. afromontanum from Uganda and the European Lecanactis subabietina is transferred to the genus. Sporodophoron is described for a small group of species in Arthoniaceae related to Inoderma but with a unique type of sporodochia instead of pycnidia. Sterile specimens of this new genus resemble species of Tylophoron but differ in the rounded angular to elliptical to short cylindrical, 0–2-septate sporodochial conidia with unevenly thickened walls which are formed apically in zigzag-shaped and occasionally branched chains. Sporodophoron further differs in thallus chemistry and is genetically distinct. Tylophoron americanum and Schismatomma cretaceum are transferred to Sporodophoron, and the new species S. gossypinum from Japan and S. primorskiense from eastern Russia are described. The genus Glomerulophoron is described for a single species from Mauritius, G. mauritiae, differing from Sporodophoron in the tightly coiled chains of sporodochial conidia and being genetically distinct. A phylogenetic tree showing the position of Inoderma, Sporodophoron and Glomerulophoron in Arthoniaceae is presented. A key to all species of Arthoniaceae with sporodochia or elevated white pruinose pycnidia is presented. Arthothelium spectabile, the type of the large heterogeneous genus Arthothelium, is confirmed for the cryptothecioid subclade in Arthoniaceae.

Crypthonia with 11 species is described as belonging to the Arthoniaceae. The new genus is characterised by (1) white to pale carneous, maculiform ascomata lacking a distinct exciple, (2) a weakly gelatinised, hydrophobic hymenium of paraphysoids, (3) a discontinuous layer of branched ascogenous hyphae in the hypothecium, (4) small, clavate to broadly clavate asci of the Arthonia-type lacking a hemiamyloid ring structure in the tholus, (5) eight small, hyaline, 1-3-septate, thin-walled ascospores per ascus, (6) loosely attached thalli with a byssoid, coloured hypothallus, and (7) a chemistry of mainly β-orcinol depsidones and tridepsides including psoromic, norstictic, and gyrophoric acids. Rugulosin occurs in C. bella and C. citrina.

Topeliopsis darlingtonii A. Frisch & Kalb and Topeliopsis elixii A. Frisch & Kalb from Australia and Topeliopsis meridensis Kalb & A. Frisch from Venezuela are described as new species. Thelotrema decorticans Müll. Arg. and Ocellularia subdenticulata Zahlbr. are transferred to Topeliopsis and are the correct names for T. corticola Kalb and T. vezdae Kalb, respectively. A revised key of the genus Topeliopsis is presented. Ascoconidia, produced in old ascospores of T. elixii, are described for the first time for the Thelotremataceae.