ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Six new species of Sporostigma from Cuba and Colombia and confirmed placement of the genus in the Arthothelium-Pachnolepia-Snippocia-Tylophoron clade in Arthoniaceae
1
Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin, Freie Universität
Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 6–8, 14195 Berlin, Germany
2
Licenciatura en Biología, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de
Caldas, Cra. 4 No. 26B-54, Torre de Laboratorios, Herbario, Bogotá,
Colombia
3
Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra,
Australia
4
Jardín Botánico Nacional, Carretera del Rocío km 3½, Calabazar,
19230 Habana, Cuba
Submission date: 2026-04-16
Acceptance date: 2026-06-08
Online publication date: 2026-07-31
Publication date: 2026-07-31
Plant and Fungal Systematics 2026; 71(1): 42-63
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Revision of recently collected material in Cuba and Colombia revealed a surprising
diversity of Sporostigma, a hitherto monospecific genus with spot-like mazaedia and
Arthonia-type, brown ascospores, previously only known from Florida. Newly generated
molecular sequence data place the genus in the Arthoniaceae, specifically in the clade
containing the genera Arthothelium, Pachnolepia, Snippocia, and Tylophoron. Quantitative
analysis of morphological and anatomical characters led to the distinction of six new
species, which are formally described in this work: from Cuba, S. cubanum, differing from
S. melasporum in the compact thallus, the lirellate-stellate ascomata with black mazaedia
and thickened, crenulate thalline margin, and the smooth ascospores; and from Colombia,
S. hieroglyphicum, differing from S. cubanum in the immersed-erumpent mazaedia with
even, flattened margin and often with a split between mazaedium and thallus margin;
S. immersellipsoideum, differing from S. melasporum in the sharply delimited mazaedia
and the compact and smooth thallus; S. lobatum, differing from S. immersellipsoideum in
the clearly erumpent mazaedia which become elongate-lobate, the rough thallus, and the
comparatively broader ascospores with a typically papilliform proximal cell; S. pseudostromaticum,
differing from S. cubanum in the notably pseudostromatic ascomata with
branched to dissected individual mazaedia and with an even thallus margin; and S. stellatum,
differing from S. pseudostromaticum in the rough thallus, the lack of secondary divisions
of the mazaedia, and the slightly larger ascospores. This contribution is dedicated to our
esteemed colleague and friend, André Aptroot, for his numerous and invaluable contributions
to tropical crustose lichen taxonomy.
FUNDING
The workshop at the UDBC herbarium during which the material
was taxonomically assessed was supported by the DRYLICH
project “Establishing a Network of Expertise for the Lichen
Biota of the Tropical Dry Forest”, a bilateral project between
the Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum of Berlin and the
Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, funded by the Federal Ministry
of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung
und Forschung – BMBF; Förderkennzeichen 01DN23013) and
the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MinCiencias;
Contract Number 80740-032-2023), within the program
“Promoting Scientific and Technological Cooperation Projects
with Colombia” (Förderung von Projekten der wissenschaftlich-
technologischen Zusammenarbeit mit Kolumbien).
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