A new circumscription of the genus Ramboldia (Lecanoraceae,Ascomycota) based on morphological and molecular evidence by evidence

Abstract

The lichen genus Ramboldia is emended by inclusion of Pyrrhospora species containing the anthraquinone russulone in their apothecia and having a prosoplectenchymatous exciple. This is supported by anatomical characters. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony and Bayesian statistics of a combined data set of DNA sequences from nu LSU, mt SSU, and ITS gene regions revealed Pyrrhospora to be polyphyletic with the type species distinct from the russulone-containing Pyrrhospora species that clustered with Ramboldia taxa. The following new combinations are made: Ramboldia amagiensis, R. arandensis, R. aurantiaca, R. aurea, R. bullata, R. cinnabarina, R. gowardiana, R. griseococcinea, R. haematites, R. heterocarpa, R. laeta, R. lusitanica, R. manipurensis, R. russula, R. sanguinolenta and R. subcinnabarina. New to science are Ramboldia neolaeta Kalb & Elix and R. quaesitica Elix & Kalb. A key to all known species in the R. russula group is presented.