Rhizoplaca shushanii S. Leavitt, F. Fernandez-Mendoza , Lumbsch, Sohrabi & L. St. Clair

Leavitt, Steven D., Fernandez-Mendoza, Fernando, Perez-Ortega, Sergio, Sohrabi, Mohammad, Divakar, Pradeep K., Lumbsch, H. Thorsten & Clair, Larry L. St., 2013, DNA barcode identification of lichen-forming fungal species in the Rhizoplaca melanophthalma species-complex (Lecanorales, Lecanoraceae), including five new species, MycoKeys 7, pp. 1-22 : 12

Rhizoplaca shushanii S. Leavitt, F. Fernandez-Mendoza, Lumbsch, Sohrabi & L. St. Clair sp. nov.

Type.

USA, Utah, Wayne County, Thousand Lakes Mountain, vicinity of 'Flat Top’, near summit, 38.4366°N, 111.4677°W, on basalt, 3270 m alt., October 1997, Lyndon D. Porter BRY-C55061 (holotype BRY).

Description.

Morphologically similar to Rhizoplaca melanophthalma sensu stricto, but consists of specimens recovered within 'clade III’ in Leavitt et al. (2011a), which is supported as a lineage distinct from all other populations according to coalescent-based genetic analysis of multiple genetic loci. The mean genetic distances among ITS haplotypes was estimated to be 0.001 ± 0.002.

Chemistry– Usnic (major), psoromic (major), subpsoromic (minor), and 2'-O-demethylsubpsoromic (minor or trace) acids; usually with constipatic (minor) and 2'-O-demethylpsoromic (minor) acids; and occasionally with dehydroconstipatic (minor) and dehydroprotocetraric (minor) acids.

Reference phylogeny.

Leavitt et al. 2011a (fig. 5, 'clade III’).

Reference sequences.

GenBank Nos. HM577282 (ITS), HM577058 (IGS), HM577187 (group I intron), HM577416 (MCM 7), and HM576927 (β-tubulin).

Phylogenetic notes: A monophyletic lineage in both concatenated multilocus gene tree with strong statistical support (ML bootstrap = 100%; posterior probability 1.0), and with strong statistical support in the ITS gene topology (ML bootstrap = 100%, this study); and high speciation probability inferred from multiple loci (BPP speciation probability = 1.0).

Ecology and distribution.

Found growing only on sun-exposed basalt boulders in subalpine meadows in southwestern USA. Currently known only from subalpine habitats on the Aquarius Plateau in southern Utah, USA.

Etymology.

The new taxon is named in honor ofthe late Dr. Sam Shushan, a pioneer in western North American lichenology.

Specimens examined.

See supplementary file 1.