The British endemic Enterographa sorediata is the widespread Syncesia myrticola (Roccellaceae, Arthoniales)

Abstract

AbstractEnterographa sorediata is a corticolous, crustose lichen endemic to the southern part of Great Britain where it is confined to old-growth woodlands. This lichen is rarely fertile and mainly characterized by a sorediate thallus producing protocetraric acid. However, phylogenetic analyses using nuLSU, RPB2 and nuITS sequences suggest that E. sorediata belongs to the genus Syncesia and is conspecific with S. myrticola. This is corroborated by the chemistry and the recent observation of a thallus with both fully developed S. myrticola-like apothecia and soralia. This provides further evidence of the difficulties involved in correctly placing sorediate sterile morphs of crustose lichens into particular genera without using molecular data. An updated distribution map of S. myrticola for Great Britain and Ireland is provided, showing that the sorediate morph extends more inland whereas the fertile morph is more coastal.