Lepra pseudosubventosa Kukwa & Guzow-Krzemińska

Guzow-Krzemińska, Beata, Flakus, Adam, Kosecka, Magdalena, Jabłońska, Agnieszka, Rodriguez-Flakus, Pamela & Kukwa, Martin, 2019, New species and records of lichens from Bolivia, Phytotaxa 397 (4), pp. 257-279 : 265

** Lepra pseudosubventosa Kukwa & Guzow-Krzemińska nom. et stat. nov. Mycobank MB 830059

Basionym Pertusaria subventosa var. hypothamnolica A.W. Archer & Elix (1993: 147); syn. Lepra subventosa (Malme) I. Schmitt, B.G. Hodk. & Lumbsch var. hypothamnolica (A.W. Archer & Elix) A.W. Archer & Elix

Etymology: The name refers to the similarity to Lepra subventosa .

Chemistry: Lichexanthone, and picrolichenic and thamnolic acids by TLC.

Distribution: Lepra pseudosubventosa was previously known only from Australia and Papua New Guinea ( Archer & Elix 1993).

Notes: Lepra subventosa s.l. appears to be morphologically uniform, but variable in the secondary chemistry ( Archer & Elix 1993; Wei et al. 2017) which apparently reflects the genetic differences as several species can be hidden under that name ( Wei et al. 2017). Archer & Elix (1993) recognized three varieties within L. subventosa , including L. subventosa var. hypothamnolica , which is morphologically very similar to L. subventosa var. subventosa , but differs in the presence of hypothamnolic acid (thamnolic acid present in L. subventosa var. subventosa ) ( Archer & Elix 1993). Based on newly obtained ITS sequences of L. subventosa var. hypothamnolica and L. subventosa var. subventosa we found high variation between those taxa ( Fig. 3 ) which suggest that L. subventosa var. hypothamnolica should be treated at the species level. Due to the existence of L. hypothamnolica (Dibben) Lendemer & R.C. Harris ( Lendemer & Harris 2017) , the new name L. pseudosubventosa is proposed here.

Material examined. BOLIVIA. Dept. Tarija: Prov. Aniceto Arce, Reserva Nacional de Flora y Fauna Tariquía, la Cumbre between Padcaya and campamento los Alisos , 21º59’02”S, 64º36’22”W, 3280 m, open area with rocks, saxicolous, 25 July 2015, M. Kukwa 16672 ( LPB, UGDA) ; Prov. Burnet O’Connor, la Cumbre close to antenas del gasoducto, old road between Entre Ríos and Tarija, 21º26’11”S, 64º24’42”W, 2769 m, open area with shrubs and sandstone rocks, saxicolous, 1 Aug. 2015, A. Flakus 25713 ( KRAM, LPB) .

Material of L. subventosa var. subventosa examined. BOLIVIA. Dept. La Paz: Prov. Bautista Saavedra, Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Nacional APOLOBAMBA, between la Curva and Charazani, 15º08’09”S, 69º02’03”W, elev. 3780 m, open area with shrubs, on saxicolous bryophytes, 15 Nov. 2014, M. Kukwa 14699 ( LPB, UGDA). AUSTRALIA. New South Wales: Lord Howe Island, along ridge to Malabar Hill, 31°31’16”S, 159°03’50”E, elev. 80 m, on basalt, 23 June 1992, J. A. Elix 32952, Elix, Lich. Australas. Exs. 291 ( HAL).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Haplotype network showing relationships among ITS haplotypes between Lepra amaroides, L. pseudosubventosa and L. subventosa s.str. Sizes of circles are proportional to the number of specimens per haplotype. Chemotypes are described below specimen’s data. Numbers in brackets near lines between haplotypes represent number of mutational steps.