At 661,848 km2, the province of Alberta, Canada is a biogeographically variable political region, located at the confluence of eight ecoregions. The provincial lichen flora was surveyed in several foundational North American studies, and recent increased survey effort from researchers, environmental impact assessments, group forays, and a province-wide biodiversity monitoring program have built on that foundation. Subsequent collections of calicioid lichens and allied fungi necessitated a large floristic revision including morphological, anatomical, chemical and molecular investigations. Prior to this work, 32 calicioids were documented in the lichen literature for Alberta. Here we add 13 species new to science, seven of which are assigned to three newly described genera (Albocalicium candidum, Brevicalicium roseum, Paracalicium betulae, P. caraganae, P. chamaedaphnes, P. piceae, and P. recedens) and six to two existing genera (Chaenothecopsis abscondita, C. caelumsaltator, C. calicii-viridis, C. epifurfuracea, C. yukonensis, and Phaeocalicium alnophilum). Twenty-nine additional species are reported for the first time in the province: Allocalicium adaequatum, Calicium glaucellum, C. lucidum, C. pinastri, C. trachylioides, Chaenotheca chlorella, C. cinerea, C. gracilenta, C. laevigata, Chaenothecopsis debilis, C. marcineae, C. nana, C. parasitaster, C. penningtonensis, C. savonica, C. viridialba, C. viridireagens, C. aff. ussuriensis, Chaenotricha obscura, Coniocybe brachypoda, Microcalicium arenarium, M. disseminatum, M. loraasii, Phaeocalicium betulinum, P. compressulum, P. flabelliforme, P. interruptum, P. polyporaeum, and Sclerophora pallida. We exclude Chaenothecopsis ochroleuca and Sphinctrina turbinata from the flora as the only known collections were redetermined to Chaenothecopsis yukonensis and Acolium inquinans, respectively, bringing the total number of calicioid species known for Alberta to 73, increasing the previously known species richness by 132%. Chaenothecopsis marcineae is reported for the first time from western North America; C. parasitaster, C. penningtonensis, C. ussuriensis and Phaeocalicium interruptum are new to Canada; and Calicium lucidum, C. pinastri, Phaeocalicium betulinum and P. polyporaeum are new to western Canada. We also report Chaenothecopsis ochroleuca, C. yukonensis and Phaeocalicium polyporaeum for the first time from Yukon Territory and Caliciopsis calicioides for the first time from the Northwest Territories. Seventy-three new sequences from 57 specimens across 34 species were generated (43 ITS, 9 LSU, and 21 mtSSU), including sequences for all newly described species and the first published sequences for Chaenotheca selvae, Chaenothecopsis ochroleuca, C. penningtonensis, C. parasitaster (which we also confirm as morphologically, ecologically, and genetically distinct from C. pusilla), and Phaeocalicium flabelliforme. We provide phylogenies for the Caliciaceae, Coniocybaceae, and Sphinctrinaceae. Species descriptions, photographs, and distribution maps are provided for 95% of the species, as well as habitat associations or model results for the more abundant species. Novel clades and traits in Chaenotheca phaeocephala and Stenocybe pullatula are explored. Finally, we provide keys to the species of Chaenothecopsis and Phaeocalicium (including Brevicalicium and Paracalicum) of North America and new images for Phaeocalicium pinaceum and P. boreale. This work helps to address the knowledge gap for calicioid species in the interior of North America.
Keywords: Ascomycota, biodiversity monitoring, Coryneliales, Coryneliaceae, Eurotiales, Eurotiomycetes, indicators, Mycocaliciales, Mycocaliciaceae, new taxa, Pertusariales, Pezizomycotina, systematics.
