The genusMenegazzia(Lecanorales:Parmeliaceae) in Tasmania revisited

Abstract

AbstractWith 30 species, Tasmania is a major area of species diversity in the genusMenegazzia. Seven of these are new to science:M. absconditaKantvilas, known from Tasmania and New Zealand, andM. athrotaxidisKantvilas,M. hypogymnioidesKantvilas,M. petraeaKantvilas,M. ramulicolaKantvilas,M. subtestaceaKantvilas andM. tarkineaKantvilas, all endemic to Tasmania. An identification key, descriptions based exclusively on Tasmanian collections, and detailed discussion of distribution, ecology, chemical composition and inter-species relationships are provided. All literature records ofMenegazziaspecies pertaining to Tasmania are accounted for. New synonyms include:Menegazzia prototypicaP. James andParmelia pertusavar.coskinodesF. Wilson [synonyms ofM. myriotrema(Müll. Arg.) R. Sant.],M. fertilisP. James [a synonym ofM. platytrema(Müll. Arg.) R. Sant.] andParmelia pertusavar.montanaF. Wilson (a synonym ofM. subtestacea). Incorrectly recorded species that should be deleted from the Tasmanian census includeM. castaneaP. James & D. J. Galloway (present on Macquarie Island) andM. testaceaP. James & D. J. Galloway (endemic to New Zealand). The South American species,M. sanguinascens(Räs.) R. Sant., is recorded in Australasia (Tasmania) for the first time, whereas the widespread south-eastern AustralianM. norsticticaP. James is recorded for Western Australia. Salient features of the genus are discussed, including morphology, anatomy and chemistry. The biogeography of the genus is explored briefly. Twelve species (40%) are endemic to Tasmania, a level of endemism unmatched by any other species-rich genus on the island. Twelve species are shared with mainland Australia, eleven are shared with New Zealand, and only four species are shared with southern South America, all of which are sorediate, suggesting they are products of long-distance dispersal.