New Zealand Lithothelium (Pyrenulaceae): Description of a new species Lithothelium kiritea sp. nov., with notes on L. australe

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Authors
Marshall, Andrew
Aptroot, A.
Blanchon, Dan
James, Campbell
de Lange, Peter
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Grantor
Date
2024-04-28
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Type
Journal Article
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
New Zealand
lichenised mycobiota
lichens
taxonomy
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Marshall, A.J., Aptroot, A., Blanchon, D.J., James, C.J., & de Lange, P.J. (2024). New Zealand Lithothelium (Pyrenulaceae) — description of a new species Lithothelium kiritea sp. nov., with notes on L. australe. Ukrainian Botanical Journal, 81(2), 145-154. https://doi:10.15407/ukrbotj81.02.145
Abstract
Lithothelium kiritea A.J. Marshall, Aptroot, de Lange & Blanchon sp. nov. (Pyrenulaceae) is described from Aotearoa / New Zealand. The new species has a mainly coastal and mostly westerly distribution in Aotearoa / New Zealand and is thus far known only from the bark of living Cordyline australis (Asparagaceae). The new species is separated from Litho thelium australe (treated here as endemic to the Chatham Islands), by its corticolous, rather than saxicolous habit, white to pale buff (when fresh) thallus and large ascospores (measuring 32−40 × 12−15 μm). Lithothelium kiritea is easily recognised and usually abundant in the locations where it has been found, yet it seems to have not been collected until 1973 when it was sampled once and then not collected again until 2018. Currently, specimens matching L. kiritea have not been reported from Australia, so we recommend it be searched for there. Within Aotearoa / New Zealand, we propose that the species be assessed as ‘Not Threatened’ using the New Zealand Threat Classification System.
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Link to ePress publication
DOI
https://doi:10.15407/ukrbotj81.02.145
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© M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, NAS of Ukraine, 2024
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CC BY Attribution 4.0 International
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