Lecanora darelensis, a new species of Lecanoraceae from Darel Valley, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan

Abstract

A new species, Lecanora darelensis sp. nov is described here from Darel Valley, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. A comparative morpho-anatomical, chemical study and ITS-based molecular analyses confirmed the position of new species within the genus Lecanora. The new taxon is phylogenetically closely related to L. argopholis. The former can be distinguished from latter in having pale yellowish green upper surface (vs yellowish white), larger apothecial disc 0.5–1.5 mm (vs c. 1.2 mm), brown, plane to convex, pruinose to rarely epruinose apothecial disc (vs deep yellowish brown, plane or slightly concave, epruinose), taller epihymenium 25–35 µm (vs c. 20 µm), taller hymenium 110–150 µm (vs 70–75 µm), larger ascospores 14–18 × 5–8 µm (vs c. 12.7 × 7.3 µm), atranorin is detected by TLC (vs atranorin, epanorin, zeorin) and growing on calcareous rocks (vs rock surfaces, detritus, mosses, sloping siliceous and calcareous rocks, boulders, gravel).