KEYS TO THE LICHENS OF ITALY - 12) PROTOPARMELIOPSIS
Pier Luigi Nims
Apparatus of images: Andrea Moro - Software and databases: Stefano Martellos

his genus, which was resurrected to accommodate the Lecanora-muralis-group, was not accepted by all authors, mainly because of the lack of molecular data. Many species were combined in Protoparmeliopsis by Kondratyuk & al. (2012), but some of them doubtfully belong to this genus. Kondratyuk & al. (2014) provided a first attempt to delimit the genus on the basis of molecular data, suggesting that, although heterogeneous in the present circumscription, it could be largely retained. I tentatively accept it here, although the taxonomy of Lecanora s.lat. is far from being satisfactorily settled (see Zhao & al. 2015). The most comprehensive treatment of European species is still that of Poelt (1958), but the genus is in need of a thorough molecular analysis in Europe: I have the impression that several infraspecific taxa of P. muralis occurring in natural habitats do constitute good species. The key includes the 12 infrageneric taxa hitherto reported from Italy plus 2 taxa whose presence in Italy is likely.

References

Kondratyuk S.Y., Zarei-Darki B., Khajeddin S.J. 2012. New species and combinations in the genus Protoparmeliopsis (Lecanoraceae, Lichenized Ascomycota). Ukr. Bot. J. 69, 6: 869-879.
Kondratyuk S.Y., Kim J., Kondratuk A.S., Jeong M.-H., Hwa Jang S., Pirogov M.V., Hur J.S. 2014. First data on molecular phylogeny of the genus Protoparmeliopsis M. Choisy (Lecanoraceae, Ascomycota). Modern Phytomorph., 5: 63-68.
Poelt J. 1958. Die lobaten Arten der Flechtengattung Lecanora Ach. sensu ampl. in der Holarktis. Mitt.bot. Staatssamml. München, 2, 19-20: 411-573.
Zhao X., Leavitt S.D., Zhao Z.T., Zhang L.L., Arup U., Grube M., Pérez-Ortega S., Printzen Ch., Śliwa L., Kraichak E., Divakar, P. K., Crespo A., Lumbsch H.T. 2016. Towards a revised generic classification of lecanoroid lichens (Lecanoraceae, Ascomycota) based on molecular, morphological and chemical evidence. Fungal Divers., 78: 293-304.

Last modified: August, 31, 2025


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