Neoprotoparmelia australisidiata Garima Singh & Aptroot

Singh, Garima, ptroot, Andre, ico, Victor J., tte, Juergen, Pradeep K. Divakar,, Crespo, Ana, Caceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva, H. Thorsten Lumbsch, & Schmitt, Imke, 2018, Neoprotoparmelia gen. nov. and Maronina (Lecanorales, Protoparmelioideae): species description and generic delimitation using DNA barcodes and phenotypical characters, MycoKeys 44, pp. 19-50 : 19

Neoprotoparmelia australisidiata Garima Singh & Aptroot sp. nov. Figure 5

Type.

AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, 2 km N of Emerald Springs, 13°37'23"S, 131°36'40"E, on Erythrophloeum chlorostachys ; 22 September 2007, G. Kantvilas 289/07 (holotype: HO 545660).

Diagnosis.

Similar to Neoprotoparmelia isidiata , but differing by the larger number of isidia per thallus areole.

Etymology.

Named after Australia and the presence of isidia.

Description.

Thallus consisting of almost contiguous, flat to convex areoles with irregular shape, of up to ca. 0.1 mm thick and 0.7 mm wide, somewhat shiny, pale brown to dark brown or pale olive-green to olive-grey, marginal prothallus black, thin or absent. Isidia usually in groups on almost each thallus areole, up to 0.9 mm long, persistently 0.07-0.1 mm wide over their whole length, cylindrical, usually rather irregularly once or more rarely repeatedly branched and somewhat nodulose, somewhat shiny, pale to dark brown or pale olive-green to olive-grey, of thallus colour, tips not darkened or somewhat brown. Apothecia (only young ones observed) sessile, round, 0.4-0.6 mm diam., disc concave to flat, smooth, glossy, orange brown. Margin glossy, ca. 0.05 mm wide, glossy brown at the outside, slightly higher than the disc. Hymenium hyaline, not inspersed with oil droplets, up to 50 μm high; epihymenium fuscous brown, pigment in K becoming soluble and paler; hypothecium hyaline, up to 90 μm thick including subhymenium; excipulum hyaline throughout, with a 5-12 μm thick layer of cortex, without crystals, with algae, extending below the hypothecium (cupulate). Paraphyses branched, ca. 2.5 μm wide, not thickened at the tips. Mature asci and ascospores not observed. Pycnidia not observed.

Chemistry.

Spot tests: medulla of thallus and isidia C–, P–, K–, KC+ pink, UV+ greenish-white. TLC: alectoronic acid (major), dehydroalectoronic acid (minor or trace) and β–alectoronic acid (trace).

Distribution and ecology.

On wood or bark of trees in open or closed forests. Known only from Australia (Northern Territory & New South Wales).

Reference sequences.

(specimen: Kantvilas 289/07, holotype: HO 545660). KP822276 (ITS), KP822466 (mtSSU), KP823523 (TSR1).

Remarks.

This species comprises the specimens recovered within ' P. isidiata E’ in ' Protoparmelia tropical clade’ in Singh et al. (2015) and referred to as Maronina in Divakar et al. (2017) and Singh et al. (2018). Coalescent-based species delimitation inferred from the six-locus dataset supports these taxa as distinct lineage from the other isidiate samples collected from the geographically distant populations. This species is morphologically very similar to Neoprotoparmelia isidiata , but has larger and contiguous thallus areoles, usually bearing more isidia. Members of this species may differ considerably in colour and the abundance and maximum length of the isidia.

Additional specimens examined.

AUSTRALIA. New South Wales, Maxwells Flora Reserve, S of Eden, 195 m alt., 26 October 2010, G. Kantvilas 228/10 (HO 559228).