Phyllopsora porphyromelaena (Vain.) Zahlbr.

Kistenich, Sonja, Bendiksby, Mika, Vairappan, Charles S., Weerakoon, Gothamie, Wijesundara, Siril, Wolseley, Patricia A. & Timdal, Einar, 2019, A regional study of the genus Phyllopsora (Ramalinaceae) in Asia and Melanesia, MycoKeys 53, pp. 23-72 : 23

Phyllopsora porphyromelaena (Vain.) Zahlbr.

Description.

Timdal and Krog (2001), Elix (2009), both as P. albicans .

Distribution.

Pantropical ( Brako 1991, as P. buettneri var. glauca chemical stains I and III; Timdal and Krog 2001; Elix 2009).

Remarks.

This is the most common species in our material from Asia and Melanesia (Fig. 9A), despite previous records only from India, The Philippines, and Taiwan (mostly as P. albicans ). Two chemotypes are previously recognized, and a third is recognized here. Chemotype 1 (argopsin and norargopsin) and chemotype 2 (argopsin and pannarin) are both widely distributed in Asia and Melanesia, but chemotype 3 (zeorin and three unknown compounds) is restricted to Thailand (Suppl. material 2: Table S1). The unknown compounds move in Rf-classes A:3-4, B’:4– 5, C:5 (major compound); A:6, B’:6, C:5-6 (minor compound); and A:3, B’:3, C:5 (minor compound).

In the phylogenetic tree (Fig. 1, Suppl. material 1: Fig. S1), accessions of chemotypes 1 and 2 group into a weakly supported clade with P. buettneri , while accessions of chemotype 3 form a clade with P. chodatinica and the P. buettneri / P. porphyromelaena clade. Additional specimens of chemotype 3 should be sequenced to find out whether it indeed represents a chemical strain of P. porphyromelaena or rather a distinct species.

The species is morphologically very similar to P. sabahana ; see that species for discussion. It is possible that some specimens listed as P. porphyromelaena chemotype 1 in Suppl. material 2: Table S1, especially those from Malaysia, represent P. sabahana . It is new to Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.