A new species of the genus Anamylopsora (Baeomycetaceae; Ascomycota) from Deosai National Park, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

• Published in: The Lichenologist
• Main Authors: Usman, Muhammad, Firdous, Qudsia, Dyer, Paul S., Khalid, Abdul Nasir
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2023
• Subjects: Anamylopsoraceae; arctic-alpine; Asia; lichens; systematics; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1017/s002428292300018x; https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/file/23005735/1/A%20new%20species%20of%20the%20genus%20Anamylopsora%20%28Baeomycetaceae%3B%20Ascomycota%29%20from%20Deosai%20National%20Park,%20Gilgit-Baltistan,%20Pakistan; https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/23005735

A novel lichen species occurring on rocks was collected from three different localities within Deosai National Park, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Phylogenetic analyses of the nrDNA ITS and nuLSU regions revealed that it clustered within the genus Anamylopsora. Further chemical and morpho-anatomical analyses confirmed its uniqueness, and it is described here as a new species under the name A. pakistanica. The distinguishing characters are: an irregularly squamulose appressed thallus on rocks without rhizines; an epinecral layer up to 25 μm thick; ascospores that are hyaline, simple, thick-walled with a smooth surface; septate paraphyses with a pigmented apical cell in a gel-like matrix; globose to subglobose pycnidia with hyaline and bacilliform pycnidiospores. In particular, the species is distinguished from other members of the genus by morpho-anatomical features including the coloration of the thalli, the presence of a thick lower cortex (up to 100 μm), and the presence of simple, thick-walled ascospores. Specimens were found at altitudes up to 4587 m, the highest elevation yet reported for Anamylopsora. A key and comparison to all existing species of the genus Anamylopsora is also given.