Two new lecanoroid lichen species from the forested wetlands of South Korea, with a key for Korean Protoparmeliopsis species

Abstract

Lecanora parasymmicta Lee & Hur and Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis Lee & Hur are described as new lichen species to science from the forested wetlands in southern South Korea. Molecular analyses employing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) sequences strongly support the two lecanoroid species to be distinct in their genera. Lecanora parasymmicta is included in the Lecanora symmicta group. It is morphologically distinguished from Lecanora symmicta (Ach.) Ach., its most similar species, by areolate-rimose thallus, blackish hypothallus, larger apothecia, absence of thalline excipulum from the beginning, narrower paraphyses, larger ascospores, smaller pycnoconidia, and the presence of placodiolic acid. The second new species Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis is included in a clade with Protoparmeliopsis bipruinosa (Fink) S.Y. Kondr. and P. nashii (B.D. Ryan) S.Y. Kondr., differs from Protoparmeliopsis ertzii Bungartz & Elix, its most morphologically similar species, by whitish thallus, flat to concave and paler disc, longer ascospores, thallus K+ yellow reaction, presence of atranorin and rhizocarpic acid, and the substrate preference to sandstone or basalt. A key is provided to assist in the identification of Protoparmeliopsis species in Korea.

A new species and new combination of Lecanora s. str. (Lecanoraceae) from China

“…Sequences of ‘ Protoparmeliopsis ’ crystalliniformis , proposed as a new species by Lee & Hur (2021) from South Korea, are nested among sequences of an unidentified taxon collected from China with strong support (UFBoot = 100%, PP = 1.00). Its systematic position is distant from the genus Protoparmeliopsis , instead falling within Lecanora s. str.…”

“…Thallus K+ yellow, KC−, C−; atranorin and an unidentified compound at R f class 4–5 (A), 5–6 (B′), 5–6 (C), after charring yellow to orange-brown with orange halo in daylight and yellow to orange or brown with greenish halo under long-wave UV light by TLC. The South Korean collections of ‘ Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis ’ have been reported to contain atranorin and rhizocarpic acid (Lee & Hur 2021).…”

“…The majority of collections examined in this study were collected from a Tulin (‘Earth Forest’) formation in the south-west of China. The two collecting localities in South Korea are near the coast, at elevations of 5–31 m (Lee & Hur 2021).…”

“…This species is mainly characterized by the somewhat squamulose thallus, large crystals in the amphithecium, fine crystals in the epihymenium and the presence of atranorin. It was first included in the genus Protoparmeliopsis because it nested within this genus in the ITS and mtSSU phylogenetic tree of Lee & Hur (2021). However, only data from the genus Protoparmeliopsis were selected for this phylogenetic reconstruction.…”

Lecanora sublivescens, a little-known lichen species in Germany

“…Lecanora parasymmicta B.G.Lee & Hur, so far only known from Korea ( Lee & Hur 2021), differs by having a grey thallus and the complete lack of a thalline margin, even when young.…”