Parmelia masonii, a New Lichen Species (Ascomycota) from the Himalayas

Abstract

The new species Parmelia masonii, an apparent Himalayan endemic, is distinguished from other members of the genus by the distinctive brown color, lack ofatranorin in the upper cortex, and presence of fatty acids or fumarprotocetraric acid, or both, in the medulla. The lichen genus Parmelia is now known to contain a total of 39 species. In his recent monograph of the genus Parmelia (s.s.), Hale (1987) included 38 species. Asia is ap- parently the major center of diversity for the genus, with a total of 17 species including 10 endemics. Hale reported eight species as occurring in the Hi- malayas, although none of them is endemic to that region. It is therefore interesting to report the ex- istence of a previously undescribed species, appar- ently endemic to the Himalayan region and at pres- ent known only from Nepal. This species is named in honor of the late Dr. Mason E. Hale, Jr., the preeminent student of the Parmeliaceae.