Bacidia depriestiana (Ramalinaceae), a new species from the southern Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America

Abstract

Bacidia depriestiana is described as new to science based on material from the southern Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. The species has a granular to minutely areolate thallus, with minute, erumpent soralia, produces atranorin and zeorin, and is not known to produce apothecia. The combination of chemistry and thallus type appears to be unique within the genus. Originally identified as Lecanora nothocaesiella, the species was recognized as distinct in conjunction with study of a large metagenomic dataset for lichens from the region. In connection with obtaining molecular loci use for phylogenetic placement of the material, the mitochondrial genome was assembled, found to be 38,546 bp in length, and encoded for the full suite of protein coding genes previously found in lichen fungi, with the exception of atp9.