Parmelia sulcata(Ascomycota:Parmeliaceae), a sympatric monophyletic species complex

Abstract

AbstractRecently, the number of cryptic species known has increased considerably, showing that species diversity has in many cases been underestimated in the past.Parmelia sulcatais a widely distributed species and one of the most common taxa in temperate Europe. The first intra-specific molecular studies onP. sulcatashowed an unexpectedly high genetic variability. In the present work, we study the biodiversity of this taxon including specimens from four continents and using three molecular markers (nuITS, nuIGS rDNA, and partial β-tubulin gene). Two monophyletic groups ofP. sulcatawere encountered; one of these is epitypified asP. sulcatas. str and the other one is segregated as the new cryptic speciesP. encryptatasp. nov. Issues surrounding the lectotypification ofParmelia sulcatahave also been elucidated.