Biodiversity assessment of ascomycetes inhabiting Lobariella
lichens in Andean cloud forests led to one new family, three
new genera and 13 new species of lichenicolous fungi
More details
Hide details
1 |
Department of Lichenology, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Kraków, Poland |
2 |
Navarro Villoslada 16, 3º dcha., E-31003 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain |
3 |
Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA |
4 |
Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland |
5 |
Laboratory of Molecular Analyses, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Kraków, Poland |
Publication date: 2019-12-16
Plant and Fungal Systematics 2019; 64(2): 283–344
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Neotropical mountain forests are characterized by having hyperdiverse and
unusual
fungi inhabiting lichens. The great majority of these lichenicolous fungi (i.e., detectable
by light microscopy) remain undescribed and their phylogenetic relationships are
mostly unknown. This study focuses on lichenicolous fungi inhabiting the genus Lobariella
(Peltigerales), one of the most important lichen hosts in the Andean cloud forests. Based
on molecular and morphological data, three new genera are introduced: Lawreyella gen.
nov. (Cordieritidaceae, for Unguiculariopsis lobariella), Neobaryopsis gen. nov. (Cordycipitaceae),
and Pseudodidymocyrtis gen. nov. (Didymosphaeriaceae). Nine additional
new species are described (Abrothallus subhalei sp. nov., Atronectria lobariellae sp. nov.,
Corticifraga microspora sp. nov., Epithamnolia rugosopycnidiata sp. nov., Lichenotubeufia
cryptica sp. nov., Neobaryopsis andensis sp. nov., Pseudodidymocyrtis lobariellae sp. nov.,
Rhagadostomella hypolobariella sp. nov., and Xylaria lichenicola sp. nov.). Phylogenetic
placements of 13 lichenicolous species are reported here for Abrothallus, Arthonia, Globonectria,
Lawreyella, Monodictys, Neobaryopsis, Pseudodidymocyrtis, Sclerococcum,
Trichonectria and Xylaria. The name Sclerococcum ricasoliae comb. nov. is reestablished
for the neotropical populations formerly named S. lobariellum (Sclerococcales). A key to
sexual and asexual states of 40 species of lobariellicolous ascomycetous fungi is provided.
Teleomorph-anamorph connections were established for several species using molecular
methods and/or visual observations in nature. Additionally, we found that the anamorphic
species Cornutispora ophiurospora inhabiting Lobariella was often accompanied by ascomata
of Spirographa. Results of phylogenetic analyses, including newly generated sequences
of several Cornutispora and Spirographa species inhabiting various host lichens, support
the conclusion that Cornutispora is a synonym of Spirographa. Our Maximum Likelihood
inference based on multiple loci show that all studied Spirographa (including Cornutispora)
belong to a new lineage within Ostropales. Based on these highly supported phylogenetic
placements and the distinct character states of their conidiomata, in comparison with other
Lecanoromycetes, a new family is proposed – Spirographaceae fam. nov. This new lineage
includes broadly distributed mycoparasites, inhabiting various lichen and fungal hosts, and
representing an early diversification event preceding the lichen-forming clade of Fissurinaceae,
Gomphillaceae and Graphidaceae. Two lichenicolous species, Asteroglobulus giselae
and Pleoscutula arsenii, were found to be nested within the Spirographa clade, and their
teleomorph-anamorph connections were confirmed based on genotypic and phenotypic
data. This phylogenetic result is corroborated by their highly similar ascomata anatomy.
Together these results strongly indicate that both species are congeneric with Spirographa.
As a result, four new species (S. aggregata sp. nov., S. galligena sp. nov., S. maroneae sp.
nov., and S. parmotrematis sp. nov.) and 15 new combinations are proposed (Spirographa
ascaridiella comb. nov., S. arsenii comb. nov., S. ciliata comb. nov., S. giselae comb.
nov., S. herteliana comb. nov., S. hypotrachynae comb. nov., S. intermedia comb. nov.,
S. lichenicola comb. nov., S. limaciformis comb. nov., S. ophiurospora comb. nov., S. pittii comb. nov., S. pyramidalis comb. nov., S. triangularis comb. nov., S. tricupulata comb.
nov., and S. vermiformis comb. nov.). Species of the genus Spirographa, as outlined here,
are strongly host-specific, mainly at the generic level of their host. Some host genera can
harbour more than one Spirographa species.