Studies onMicareain Australasia II. A synopsis of the genus in Tasmania, with the description of ten new species

Abstract

Thirty-five species of Micarea are recorded for Tasmania. Ten are described as new to science: M. ceracea Coppins & Kantvilas (also known from Victoria and New South Wales), characterized by a thallus containing perlatolic and didymic acids, pallid apothecia and 3(–4)-septate ascospores, 10–21 × 3·5–6 µm; M. cinereopallida Coppins & Kantvilas (also known from Chile), with a granular to coralloid, goniocyst-like thallus containing superlatolic acid, pallid to piebald apothecia and (0–)1-septate ascospores, 8–15 × 2·5–5 µm; M. micromelaena Kantvilas & Coppins, similar to the widespread M. melaena but with markedly smaller, 0–1-septate ascospores, 8–12·5 × 2·5–4 µm; M. oreina Kantvilas & Coppins, characterized by a thallus of globose areoles containing gyrophoric acid, black, subglobose apothecia, and 1-septate ascospores, 11–16·5 × 4·5–6·5 µm; M. pallida Coppins & Kantvilas, similar to M. ceracea but distinguished by the presence of porphyrilic acid and relatively small, 3-septate ascospores, 9·5–15 × 2·5–4 µm; M. prasinastra Coppins & Kantvilas (also known from New Zealand), a member of the M. prasina group with a finely granular-sorediose thallus containing gyrophoric acid, unpigmented apothecia and (0–)1-septate ascospores, 7–11·5 × 1·8–3·5 µm; M. rubiginosa Coppins & Kantvilas (also known from Chile), likewise allied to M. prasina but with apothecia containing Rubella-orange pigment and ascospores 0–1-septate, 9·5–17 × 3·5–5·5 µm; M. sandyana Kantvilas, related to M. ternaria (Nyl.) Vĕzda but differing by smaller ascospores, 7–13·5 × 3·5–6 µm; M. saxicola Coppins & Kantvilas, characterized by a relatively thick, grey-brown, areolate thallus, convex, black apothecia and 0(–1)-septate ascospores, 7–18 × 4·5–7 µm; and M. tubaeformis Coppins & Kantvilas, related to M. flagellispora and with filiform ascospores, 45–100 × 1–2 µm, but differing by containing 2′-O-methylperlatolic acid and having funnel-shaped pycnidia. Ten species of Micarea are reported for Tasmania for the first time: M. almbornii Coppins, M. argopsinosa P. M. McCarthy & Elix, M. byssacea (Th. Fr.) Czarnota et al., M. contexta Hedl., M. farinosa Coppins & Aptroot, M. humilis P. M. McCarthy & Elix, M. incrassata Hedl., M. myriocarpa V. Wirth & Vězda ex Coppins, M. nowakii Czarnota & Coppins and M. pseudocoppinsii Brand et al. Also recorded for the first time for Victoria are M. alabastrites (Nyl.) Coppins and M. cinerea (Schaer.) Hedl. A key to Micarea-like lichens in Tasmania, which includes Micarea itself as well as Brianaria, Psilolechia and Leimonis, is presented. Leimonis erratica (Körb.) R. C. Harris & Lendemer and Brianaria tuberculata (Sommerf.) S. Ekman & M. Svensson are recorded for Tasmania for the first time.

New scientific discoveries: Plants and fungi

“…In 2019, over 200 new species of lichenised fungi were described spanning 37 families and 87 genera. The genus Micarea took first place with 24 new species (e.g., Kantvilas & Coppins, 2019).…”

The genera Brianaria (Psoraceae) and Micarea (Pilocarpaceae) in Japan, with reports on other interesting species in Asia

“…Also found in Asia from Turkey (Yildiz et al . 2002), eastern Russia (Andreev et al 1996), Mongolia (Schubert & Klement 1977) and Taiwan (Aptroot & Sparrius 2003); elsewhere from Europe, North and South America, and Australia (Tasmania (Kantvilas & Coppins 2019)).…”

“…(2014). It is common in Europe and was recently reported as new to North America from coastal Maine (Launis & Myllys 2014) and is considered widespread and common in Tasmania (Kantvilas & Coppins 2019). All specimens examined have Sedifolia-grey pigment (greenish, K+ violet) in the thallus and apothecia, and methoxymicaraeic acid determined by TLC; thus, they do not represent the newly described Micarea microareolata Launis et al or M. laeta Launis & Myllys in the M. byssacea complex (Launis et al .…”

“…Previously reported for Asia from Indonesia (Java (Hertel 1977)) and South Korea (Kondratyuk et al . 2013, as M. coreana ); elsewhere from Europe, North America, Australasia (Czarnota 2007; Kantvilas & Coppins 2019) and Réunion (Brand et al . 2014).…”

“…Lecidea inopinula , described by Nylander (1890) from Mt Fuji, is an earlier name for the cephalodiate taxon widely known as Micarea prasinella , but it was overlooked in previous work on Micarea because the name has been maintained in Catillaria until now (Ohmura & Kashiwadani 2018). A locality for this species in Japan extends the range of this charismatic, temperate rainforest species from Australasia (Tasmania (Lamb 1953); New Zealand (Kantvilas & Coppins 2019)), North America (Alaska (Spribille et al . 2010, 2020); Oregon (Andersen & Ekman 2005), as ‘U.S.A.’, GenBank voucher AY567745)), South America (Chile (Kantvilas & Coppins 2019)) and Europe (Scotland (Coppins 2008)).…”