Aspicilia nigromaculata sp. nov. (Megasporaceae, Pertusariales, Ascomycota) from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, evidence from morphology and DNA sequencing data

Abstract

A new species of Megasporaceae, Aspicilia nigromaculata sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Pakistan. A comparative morpho–anatomical study and ITS– LSU-based molecular analyses confirmed its position within the genus Aspicilia. It differs from the other species of the genus by the following set of features: a well–developed, grey to greenish grey frequently black spotted thick thallus, well– developed thicker peripheral and flat to slightly concave areoles, and small conidia 10–15 × 0.5–1 µm. Its positioning in a separate branch in the phylogenetic tree also makes it distinct from the other known species of the genus

Keywords

• its nrdna
• nrlsu
• phylogeny
• saxicolous lichens