Ten new species of lichenized Basidiomycota in the genera Dictyonema and Cora (Agaricales: Hygrophoraceae), with a key to all accepted genera and species in the Dictyonema clade

Abstract

As part of a larger systematic and taxonomic revision, including molecular phylogenetic analysis, of lichenized Basidiomycota in the Dictyonema clade, ten species are described as new from tropical America, seven in the foliose genus Cora and three in the filamentous genus Dictyonema: Cora arachnoidea J. E. Hern. & Lücking, sp. nov., C. aspera Wilk, Lücking & E. Morales, sp. nov., C. byssoidea Lücking & Moncada, sp. nov., C. cyphellifera Dal-Forno, Bungartz & Lücking, sp. nov., C. inversa Lücking & Moncada, sp. nov., C. squamiformis Wilk, Lücking & Yánez-Ayabaca, sp. nov., C. strigosa Lücking, E. Paz & L. Salcedo, sp. nov., Dictyonema aeruginosulum Lücking, Nelsen & Will-Wolf, sp. nov., D. diducens Nyl. ex Lücking, sp. nov., D. metallicum Lücking, Dal-Forno & Lawrey, sp. nov., and D. obscuratum Lücking, Spielmann & Marcelli, sp. nov. We discuss the taxonomic status of the six names historically established for species belonging in the genus Cora and reinstate the names C. gyrolophia Fr., C. pavonia (Sw.) Fr., and C. reticulifera Vain., providing diagnostic features for these, whereas the status of C. glabrata (Spreng.) Fr. and C. bovei Speg. remains uncertain. The following new combinations are introduced: Cora hirsuta (Moncada & Lücking) Moncada & Lücking, comb. nov., C. minor (Lücking, E. Navarro & Sipman) Lücking, comb. nov., Corella melvinii (Chaves, Lücking & Umaña) Lücking, Dal-Forno & Lawrey, comb. nov., Cyphellostereum phyllogenum (Müll. Arg.) Lücking, Dal-Forno & Lawrey, comb. nov., Dictyonema caespitosum (Johow) Lücking, comb. nov., D. irrigatum (Berk. & M. A. Curtis) Lücking, comb. nov., D. phyllophilum (Parmasto) Lücking, Dal-Forno & Lawrey, comb. et stat. nov., and D. scabridum (Vain.) Lücking, comb. et stat. nov. Keys are presented to the five currently accepted genera and 40 currently recognized species in the genera Cyphellostereum, Dictyonema, Cora, and Corella.

A single macrolichen constitutes hundreds of unrecognized species

“…Until 10 y ago, the scientific community was unaware that D. glabratum represented at least 16 different species in two genera (13,15). No one could have anticipated that this number would rise to 126 species in our current dataset and even up to 170 species using a coalescent-based species recognition method.…”

“…Where possible, samples were documented in the field using high-quality photographs to record potentially important phenotype features. Dried samples were studied in the herbarium using a standardized matrix of 186 characters to assess phenotypic variation, including morphology, internal anatomy, and secondary chemistry (15).…”

“…Subsequent taxonomic and molecular phylogenetic studies suggested that this concept did not reflect the true diversity in this clade (7,12,13). Currently, a total of 43 species are recognized in five genera (14,15). Two genera, Cora and Corella, are foliose macrolichens, with a total of 16 species, corresponding to what was considered a single species, Dictyonema glabratum (11,12,16).…”

Contribution to the Knowledge of the Lichen Biota of Bolivia. 6

“…After revision of the material previously assigned to these two taxa we conclude that both are known from only a few records in Bolivia. Lücking, Spielmann & Marcelli Recently described from Brazil by Lücking et al (2013). Erroneously published from Bolivia as D. sericeum (Sw.) Berk.…”

Dictyonema huaorani(Agaricales: Hygrophoraceae), a new lichenized basidiomycete from Amazonian Ecuador with presumed hallucinogenic properties

“…It is included in Cyphellostereum due to the sheath formed by cylindrical hyphae and the absence of fungal haustoria (Dal-Forno & al. 2013;Lücking & al. 2013a); however, the resupinate hymenophore is more reminiscent of Dictyonema s.str.…”