Resolving the Sticta fuliginosa morphodeme (lichenized Ascomycota: Peltigeraceae) in northwestern North America
- Author:
- Di Meglio J.R. & Goward T.
- Year:
- 2023
- Journal:
- Bryologist
- Pages:
- 126(1): 90–110
- Url:
- https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745-126.1.090
Sticta is a subcosmopolitan, predominantly epiphytic lichenizing fungal genus characteristic of
open sites in humid late-successional ecosystems. Recent molecular analysis has shown that the laminally
isidiate species S. fuliginosa, long assumed to be well delimited, encompasses .20 phylospecies which,
taken together, constitute the S. fuliginosa morphodeme. Here we elucidate the northwestern North
American members of this morphodeme based on a rich sampling from throughout the Pacific
Northwest regions of the U.S.A. and Canada: Alaska, British Columbia, California, Oregon and
Washington. Our results support recognition of five species, three of which – S. arenosella sp. nov., S.
fasciculata sp. nov. and S. torii – appear to be endemic. Of the remainder, S. globulifuliginosa was
described from Colombia, while S. gretae sp. nov. occurs also in the Canary Islands and China. Two of
our new species – S. fasciculata and S. gretae comprise a new phylogenetic lineage and is referred to as the
S. gretae clade. New taxonomically informative thallus characters are introduced and a key to the genus
Sticta in northwest North America is provided.
Keywords: Phylogenetics, old growth, British Columbia, Pacific Northwest, lichen, taxonomy.
- Id:
- 35169
- Submitter:
- zpalice
- Post_time:
- Thursday, 23 February 2023 08:20