Phylogenetic placement of Lepraria cryptovouauxii sp. nov. (Lecanorales, Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota) with notes on other Lepraria species from South America

Abstract

Leprariacryptovouauxii is described as a new semicryptic species similar to L.vouauxii, from which it differs geographically (South America) and phylogenetically; both species differ in nucleotide position characters in nucITS barcoding marker. Leprariaharrisiana is reported as new to South America and L.nothofagi as new to Antarctica, Bolivia, and Peru. Leprariaincana (South American records are referred to L.aff.hodkinsoniana) and L.vouauxii (most South American records are referred to L.cryptovouauxii) should be excluded at least temporarily from the lichen list of South America. All records previously referred to as L.alpina from Bolivia and Peru belong to L.nothofagi. Most of Bolivian records of L.pallida belong to L.harrisiana. Leprariaborealis and L.caesioalba should be included in L.neglecta. Leprariaachariana, L.impossibilis, and L.sipmaniana are sequenced for the first time.

New lineages of photobionts in Bolivian lichens expand our knowledge on habitat preferences and distribution of Asterochloris algae

“…Lichen species were determined using appropriate identification keys 54 – 58 . Morphology, secondary chemistry, and for Leprari a spp., sequencing of nucITS rDNA of mycobiont 59 were used for specimen identification. Lichen substances were identified with thin-layer chromatography (TLC) in solvents A and C 60 .…”

Two new species of Astrothelium from Sud Yungas in Bolivia and the first discovery of vegetative propagules in the family Trypetheliaceae (lichen-forming Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota)

“…In extreme cases even entire lineages evolved into permanently asexually reproducing genera, like Botryolepraria Canals et al, Lepraria Ach. and others ( Canals et al 1997 ; Ekman and Tønsberg 2002 ; Kukwa and Pérez-Ortega 2010 ; Hodkinson and Lendemer 2013 ; Lendemer and Hodkinson 2013 ; Guzow-Krzemińska et al 2019 ). In some genera, sterile taxa producing vegetative diaspores prevail, like in Herpothallon Tobler ( Aptroot et al 2009 ), but in others, they are rarer, for example, in Ochrolechia A. Massal.…”

Pseudolepraria, a new leprose genus revealed in Ramalinaceae (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes, Lecanorales) to accommodate Lepraria stephaniana

“…This includes Lepraria Ach. ( Ascomycota , Lecanoromycetes , Lecanorales , Stereocaulaceae ), a well-known genus which up to quite recently comprised only crustose lichens with morphologically simple thalli consisting of soredia-like granules laying directly on substrate or on a layer of hypothalline hyphae (e.g., Ekman and Tønsberg 2002 ; Kukwa 2002 ; Sipman 2004 ; Flakus and Kukwa 2009 ; Flakus et al 2011a ; Lendemer 2011a , b , 2013a ; Lendemer and Hodkinson 2013 ; Guzow-Krzemińska et al 2019a ). However, Lendemer and Hodkinson (2013) found, based on molecular data, that some fruticose species previously referred to Leprocaulon Nyl.…”

“…and they were subsequently transferred to the latter genus. In contrast to their simplified morphology, the species produce a vast variety of secondary lichen metabolites, which are an invaluable tool, together with morphological characters that may be sparse, in the recognition of species and their identification (e.g., Laundon 1989 , 1992 ; Tønsberg 1992 ; Sipman 2004 ; Kantvilas and Kukwa 2006 ; Flakus and Kukwa 2007 ; Saag et al 2009 ; Flakus et al 2011a ; Lendemer 2011a , 2013a ; Lendemer and Hodkinson 2013 ; Guzow-Krzemińska et al 2019a ; Kukwa 2019 ). It is also noteworthy that some species until recently classified as Lepraria have been shown to belong to other genera (e.g., Leprocaulon and Septotrapelia Aptroot & Chaves; Bungartz et al 2013 ; Lendemer and Hodkinson 2013 ) or even new genera were established for some peculiar species, e.g., Andreiomyces Hodkinson & Lendemer within Arthoniomycetes ( Hodkinson and Lendemer 2013 ), Botryolepraria Canals et al, related to Verrucariaceae in Eurotiomycetes ( Kukwa and Pérez-Ortega 2010 ) and Lithocalla Orange in Lecanorales (probably in Ramalinaceae ) in Lecanoromycetes ( Orange 2020 ).…”

“… Lepraria includes at present c. 75 species ( Wijayawardene et al 2017 ; Guzow-Krzemińska et al 2019a ; Barcenas-Peña et al 2021 ), most of which were described based on chemical (secondary metabolites) and morphological features and some also by molecular markers (e.g., Laundon 1989 , 1992 ; Tønsberg 1992 ; Lendemer 2011a , 2012 , 2013a ; Lendemer and Hodkinson 2013 ; Guzow-Krzemińska et al 2019a ; Barcenas-Peña et al 2021 ). One of the species that was placed in Lepraria based solely on morphological similarity to other members of the genus was L. stephaniana Elix, Flakus & Kukwa ( Flakus et al 2011a ).…”