Five new species of Graphidaceae from the Brazilian Northeast, with notes on Diorygma alagoense

Abstract

In the past decade Graphidaceae has stood out as one of the families with the highest number of newly described species in Brazil. In this paper we describe further five new species of Graphidaceae found in an enclave of humid forest (Brejo de Altitude) in the Caatinga, and in the Atlantic Forest of Northeast Brazil: Chapsa inspersa E.L.Lima & Lucking, differing from C. dissuta in the inspersed hymenium and larger ascospores with more numerous septa; Cryptoschizotrema minus E.L.Lima & Lucking, differing from C. schizotrema in the distinctly smaller ascospores; Diorygma sophianum E.L.Lima & Lucking, differing from D. junghuhnii in the laterally carbonized excipulum and the slightly larger ascospores, as well as the presence of lichexanthone; Graphis subfiliformis E.L.Lima & Lucking, differing from G. filiformis in the thick, shallowly verrucose thallus and thalline margin of the lirellae and in the larger ascospores; and Sarcographa atlantica E.L.Lima & Lucking, differing from S. astroidea (Vain.) Lucking comb. nov. in the larger ascospores with more numerous septa. We also provide a range and habitat extension for Diorygma alagoense M.Caceres & Lucking, an enigmatic species with a peculiar chemistry of thallus and ascomata.