Khwanruan Papong

High frequency of character transformations is phylogenetically structured within the lichenized fungal family Graphidaceae (Ascomycota: Ostropales)

ABSTRACT Graphidaceae is a large family of over 2000 predominantly tropical, lichenized fungal species encompassing a remarkable range of morphological and chemical diversity. The majority of species belongs in subfamily Graphidoideae, which also exhibits the greatest amount of variation. Various phenotype characters have traditionally been used for classification at the genus and species levels, but their correlations with phylogenetic clades are poorly known. Using a multilocus approach, we reconstructed a phylogeny for 224 taxa, representing all main genera within subfamily Graphidoideae, and employed ancestral character reconstruction and character transformation analyses to understand the evolution of morphological, anatomical and chemical characters within this group. In addition, we examined the changes of habitat and photobiont types over the phylogeny. For this purpose, we focused on 10 characters, including thallus and ascoma features and chemistry. Since previous studies have shown that results may differ depending on the reconstruction method used, both Maximum-parsimony and Maximum-likelihood approaches were employed and multistate coding of characters was used. We reconstructed the ancestral states for 64 well-supported major clades in the family and found support for the ancestor of Graphidoideae being a tropical species with a trentepohlioid photobiont, apothecioid, solitary ascomata lacking both a columella and lateral paraphyses, and having non-amyloid ascospores. The frequency of transformations of morphological and chemical characters over the phylogeny of Graphidaceae was computed, resulting in a high frequency of reversible transformations for some characters, such as secondary chemistry, whereas other characters, such as photobiont, hymenial persistence or ascoma aggregation, exhibited low frequency of transformations. However, we found that even in the character with the highest number of transformations, secondary chemistry, the shifts were highly structured phylogenetically, suggesting that the evolution of the character, rather than the character state itself, can be used to predict phylogenetic relationships with certain accuracy.

Morphological and molecular evidence places Maronina into synonymy with Protoparmelia (Ascomycota: Lecanorales )

The phylogenetic placement of the genus Maronina was studied, based chiefly on phenotypic characters such as thallus colour and anatomy, secondary chemistry, the anatomy of the excipulum and the ascus-type. DNA sequence data of mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal loci from some of the species support the hypothesis that Maronina is nested within Protoparmelia . Hence, Maronina is reduced to synonymy with Protoparmelia . Comparison of genetic distances suggests that the two varieties within M. orientalis should be regarded as distinct species. Consequently, the new combinations Protoparmelia australiensis (Hafellner & R. W. Rogers) Kantvilas et al., P. corallifera (Kantvilas & Papong) Kantvilas et al., P. hesperia (Kantvilas & Elix) Kantvilas et al., P. multifera (Nyl.) Kantvilas et al. , and P. orientalis (Kantvilas & Papong) Kantvilas et al. are proposed.

Thelotremoid lichen species recently described from Thailand: a re-evaluation

Twenty-six species recently described from Thailand are revised. Eleven taxa are reduced to synonymy with previously described species, including Leptotrema phaeosporum var. vainiona Räsänen. The following new combinations are proposed: Chapsa calathiformis (Vain.) Lumbsch & Papong, C. laemensis (Homchantara & Coppins) Lumbsch & Papong, Melanotrema melanophthalmum (Homchantara & Coppins) Lumbsch & Papong, Ocellularia albocincta (Hale) Divakar & Mangold, O. guianensis (Sipman) Divakar & Mangold, O. khunantensis (Homchantara & Coppins) Lumbsch & Papong, O. percolumellata (Sipman) Divakar & Mangold, O. subcalvescens (Nyl.) Divakar & Mangold and Ocellularia subgranulosa (Homchantara & Coppins) Lumbsch & Papong.

New species and new records of foliicolous lichens from Thailand

One new species and 71 new records are reported from Thailand. Coenogonium disciforme sp. nov. is distinguished by its disc-shaped, shortly stipitate isidia, which leave perfectly circular holes, almost like punched holes, when detached.

Four new taxa of Chroodiscus (thelotremoid Graphidaceae) from Southeast Asia

Abstract Four new taxa of the lichenized, foliicolous ascomycete genus Chroodiscus are described from Southeast Asia: Chroodiscus defectus Papong & Lücking, Ch. homchantarae Papong & Lücking, Ch. khaolungensis Papong & Lücking and Ch. khaosokensis Papong & Lücking. Chroodiscus argillaceus (Müll. Arg.) Lücking & Papong ( = Chroodiscus parvisporus Kalb & Lücking) is introduced as new combination. The genus as currently circumscribed now includes 14 taxa, which are keyed out here. A short discussion on the putative evolution and taxonomic treatment of species pairs in this genus is included.

A new species and new records of Lecanora ( Lecanoraceae , Ascomycota) from south–east Asia

The new species Lecanora ulrikii from Bhutan and Thailand is described. It belongs to Lecanora s. str. and is characterized by relatively large, orange-brown to brown apothecia that are constricted at the base, a clear to inspersed hymenium, an epihymenium of the glabrata -type, and by the presence of atranorin, usnic acid and the isoarthothelin chemosyndrome. Further, three species, L. arthothelinella, L. austrotropica and L. subimmergens , are reported for the first time from Thailand.

Further observations on the genus Maronina, with descriptions of two new taxa from Thailand

The new species, Maronina orientalis Kantvilas & Papong, with two varieties, var. orientalis and var. corallifera Kantvilas & Papong, is described, based on material from Thailand. The genus Maronina, now containing four species, is reassessed. It is characterized by having a crustose thallus, lecanorine apothecia and polysporous asci of a modified Lecanora-type.