A new taxonomy of the family Teloschistaceae

Abstract

The lichen family Teloschistaceae is one of the larger families of lichenized fungi. Currently it includes one very large heterogenous genus, Caloplaca, with some 1000 or more species with a vast variation in morphology, anatomy and chemistry. The rest of the family is split into 10-15 smaller genera, each with 20 or fewer species. There is no modern classification of the family based on molecular data. Here we attempt a first phylogenetic evaluation of a large part of the family, including a total of 337 species. Of these, 162 were used in a combined phylogenetic analysis of the ribosomal RNA sequence markers nrITS, nrLSU and mrSSU, using Bayesian inference. We also analysed all species using nrITS data, split into four different analyses. As a result we propose a new classification of the family, where a total of 39 genera are recognized, of which 31 are newly described or resurrected. The new genera are: Athallia, Austroplaca, Bryoplaca, Calogaya, Cerothallia, Flavoplaca, Gondwania, Haloplaca, Orientophila, Pachypeltis, Parvoplaca, Rufoplaca, Shackletonia, Scutaria, Sirenophila, Solitaria, Squamulea, Stellarangia, Teloschistopsis, Usnochroma, Variospora, Villophora and Wetmoreana. Resurrected genera are Blastenia, Dufourea, Follmannia, Gyalolechia, Leproplaca, Polycauliona, Pyrenodesmia and Xanthocarpia. The species Orientophila subscopularis is described as new. A third subfamily, Teloschistoideae, is proposed to accommodate the genus Teloschistes and related genera, parallel to the two previously recognized subfamilies Xanthorioideae and Caloplacoideae. We also show the large plasticity in both morphological and anatomical characters between closely related species within genera, indicating the low value of these as evolutionary markers. The secondary chemistry is a better marker in some parts of the family. We recognize a large number of geographically delimited clades with clear centres of evolution, but often showing large variation in morphology and anatomy.

Hongos liquenizados y liquenícolas de la Sierra de Albarracín (Teruel, España)

“…Recientes estudios moleculares han modificado sustancialmente la nomenclatura de algunos géneros tales como Aspicilia, Caloplaca, Melanelia, Phaeosporobolus, Verrucaria y Xanthoria (Arup et al 2013, Divakar et al 2012, Ertz et al 2013, Gueidan et al 2007, Sohrabi et al 2013a. Hemos considerado estas actualizaciones, pero mantenemos entre paréntesis la combinación anterior.…”

Brownlielloideae, a new subfamily in the Teloschistaceae (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota)

“…The species of Tarasginia were previously included in the genus Sirenophila in subfamily Teloschistoideae according to ITS1/IT2 nrDNA data (Arup et al 2013a). However, when LSU nrDNA and 12S SSU mtDNA sequences were included in the analysis, this genus forms a strongly supported clade within the Brownlielloideae (Fig.…”

“…et Kärnefelt was placed in the genus Squamulea in subfamily Xanthorioideae following ITS nrDNA sequence investigations of the type material (Arup et al 2013a). However, subsequent phylogenetic analyses of ITS and LSU nrDNA and 12S SSU mtDNA established that it belonged to Filsoniana in subfamily Teloschistoideae (Kondratyuk et al 2013c).…”

“…Many new segregates have been proposed by Arup et al (2013a), Fedorenko et al (2012) and Kondratyuk et al (2013cKondratyuk et al ( , 2014a. The genus Caloplaca, previously one of the largest of all lichen genera comprising around 1,000 species, is now segregated into 42 genera spread over the entire family (Arup et al 2013a, Kondratyuk et al 2013c, 2014a, 2015. However, a number of these new genera have not been generally accepted (Miadłikowska et al 2014).…”

“…A third species, referred to as 'Sirenophila sp. 45' by Arup et al (2013a) Thallus of very small or poorly developed areoles, orange to orange reddish brown, corticolous, sorediate, usually richly fertile. Soralia rather rare, from punctiform and rounded, to crater-like, often forming a sorediose mass covering the entire thallus.…”