The independent development of similar dendroid thallus architecture in different fungal suborders with different photobionts represents a clear and previously overlooked example of convergent evolution in lichens. Our results also suggest a pattern of character state conservation, loss, and reversion in ascomatal ontogeny types, hitherto considered conserved traits useful for higher level ascomycete systematics.

Rinodinais a widespread, polyphyletic genus of crustosePhysciaceaewithc. 300 species worldwide. A major missing link in understanding its global biogeography has been eastern Asia where the genus has never been systematically revised. Here we review specimen and literature records forRinodinafor north-eastern Asia (Russian Far East, Japan and the Korean Peninsula) and recognize 43 species. We describe two species,R. hypobadiaandR. orientalis, as new to science.Rinodina hypobadiais distinguished by its pigmented hypothecium,Dirinaria-type ascospores and pannarin in both thallus and epihymenium.Rinodina orientalisis characterized by its erumpent apothecia that remain broadly attached, with discs sometimes becoming convex and excluding the thalline margins, ascospores belonging to thePhyscia-type and secondary metabolites absent. Nine other species are reported from the region for the first time. These includeR. dolichospora,R. freyi,R. metaboliza,R. sicula,R. subminutaandR. willeyi. Of particular biogeographical interest are three additional new records that have western North American–eastern Asian distributions: the corticolous speciesR. endospora,R. macrosporaandR. megistospora. Six species have the better known eastern North American–eastern Asian distributions:R. ascociscana(syn.R. akagiensis,R. melancholica),R. buckii,R. chrysidiata,R. subminuta,R. tenuis(syn.R. adirondackii) andR. willeyi, and two have eastern North American–eastern Asian–European distributions:R. excrescensandR. moziana(syn.R. destituta,R. vezdae). Our study begins to close one of the largest gaps in our knowledge of circumboreal species distributions inRinodinaand, together with previous studies in North America and Europe, provides new insights into circumboreal crustose lichen biogeography.Rinodina cinereovirens(syn.R. turfaceavar. cinereovirens) is also reported as new to North America.

No abstract

Within the Altai-Sayan region, we identified 103 species of Teloschistaceae from 1193 field records supported by herbarium vouchers. The recorded species belong to the subfamilies Xanthorioideae (46 species in 14 genera) and Caloplacoideae (57 species in 17 genera); Teloschistoideae is absent. We divided the 194 surveyed localities into four categories: arid alpine, arid non-alpine, humid alpine, humid non-alpine. Each category has a specific lichen composition and a typical combination of traits. Humid non-alpine localities are mostly inhabited by broadly distributed boreal-montane species; humid alpine sites by arctic-alpine lichens; arid non-alpine habitats are preferred by xerophilous Eurasian species and arid alpine sites by xerophilous Central Asian species with (presumably) large geographic ranges in dry continental Asia. Some arid alpine species have a thick crustose thallus with a very thick medulla and cortex; this morphological trait is confined to the Central Asian group of lichens and is absent from other climatic regions, such as arctic, boreal or oceanic Eurasia. We compared species diversity in the Altai-Sayan region with the Alps. Both regions differ in species and generic composition and the richness is higher in the latter.                Taxonomy: Caloplaca fluviatilis is newly described. New combinations are Pachypeltis insularis, P. pachythallina, P. phoenicopta and Variospora sororicida. Two of Magnusson’s names are newly synonymized: Caloplaca infestans with Pachypeltis intrudens and Caloplaca kansuensis with C. bicolor. In addition to 22 known genera, we define, provisionally, 9 groups of species that may merit recognition as genera. Caloplaca epithallina is provisionally placed in Shackletonia, but we do not formally publish a new combination. Lichenicolous Pachypeltis phoenicopta and Variospora sororicida are less host-specific than originally thought.                Floristics: Caloplaca pratensis is new to Eurasia, Caloplaca helygeoides (= C. diphyodes auct.), C. monacensis and C. soralifera are new to Asia. 12 species are new to Russia, 9 new to Siberia, 9 new to China, 2 new to Kazakhstan, and 2 new to Xinjiang. Outside the studied region Pachypeltis phoenicopta is new to Europe (Spain, Sierra Nevada) and we report the first reliable record of Pachypeltis insularis from Greece (Mt Olympus).

Phylogenetic reconstructions based on ITS/5.8S and mtSSU DNA sequence data suggest a close relationship between two Lecanora species containing calycin and usnic acid and the Lecanora polytropa group. Lecanora solaris Yakovchenko & Davydov sp. nov. is described from the Altai Mountains in Russia. Its gross morphology resembles that of L. somervellii as both species have an effigurate, citrine-yellow thallus (due to the production of calycin). However, L. solaris is distinguished from L. somervellii by having a small, squamulose to marginally lobate umbilicate thallus and apothecia with a persistent margin, whereas L. somervellii has a large, distinctly placodioid thallus and an apothecial margin that is soon excluded.