This is a key to the 33 infrageneric taxa of Umbilicaria known to occur in Italy (see Nimis 2016).
Two genera were formerly recognized:
1) Lasallia, with c. 17 species widely distributed in the northern, and to a lesser extent the southern temperate zones, mainly of the Northern Hemisphere. The circumscription of Lasallia was extended by Davydov & al. (2010) who included in the genus also a species with eight-spored asci, the genus being distinguished from Umbilicaria by a combination of large, multicellular, brown ascospores and a pustulate thallus. However, Davydov & al. (2017) proposed a new classification of Umbilicaria, including eight subgenera, one of which includes all former species of Lasallia. As the alternative would be to maintain Lasallia as an indipendent genus, at the sme time spilitting Umbilicaria into many genera, we follow Davydov & al. (2017) in considering Lasallia as a subgenus of Umbilicaria.
2) Umbilicaria, a distinctive genus with c. 70 species, widely distributed in cold areas, almost exclusively on siliceous rocks. The genus has the greatest diversity in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly at intermediate latitudes, whereas in the Southern Hemisphere it seems to be restricted to relatively small areas in the Andes, New Zealand, Australia. South Africa, and Antarctica. Molecular phylogenetic studies indicate that members of Umbilicariaceae were among the oldest groups to evolve within Lecanoromycetideae (Lutzoni & al. 2004, Miadlikowska & al. 2006). The comprehensive phylogenetic analysis by Davydov & al. (2017) showed that none of the previous classifications within the foliose members of Umbilicariaceae are supported, and that Umbilicaria can be subdiveded into 8 subgenera, one of which corresponds with the former concept of Lasallia.

References

Davydov E.A., Peršoh D., Rambold G. 2010. The systematic position of Lasallia caroliniana (Tuck.) Davydov, Peršoh & Rambold comb. nova and considerations on the generic concept of Lasallia (Umbilicariaceae, Ascomycota). Mycol. Prog., 9: 261-266.
Davydov E.A., Peršoh D., Rambold G. 2017. Umbilicariaceae (lichenized Ascomycota) – Trait evolution and a new generic concept. Taxon, 66, 6: 1282-1303.
Lutzoni F., Kauff F., Cox C.J., Vilgalys R. 2004. Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life: Progress, Classification, and Evolution of Subcellular Traits. American Journal of Botany, 91, 10:1446-1480.
Miadlikowska J., Kauff F., Hofsterrer V., Fraker E., Grube M., Hafellner J., Reeb V., Hodkinson B.P., Kukwa M., Lücking R., Hestmark G., Otálora M.G., Rauhut A., Büdel B., Scheidegger Ch., Timdal E., Stenroos S., Ertz D., Diederich P., Lendemer J.C., May Ph., 2006. New insights into classification and evolution of the Lecanoromycetes (Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota) from phylogenetic analyses of three ribosomal RNA- and two protein-coding genes. Mycologia, 98: 1088-1103.
Nimis P.L. 2016. The Lichens of Italy. A Second Annotated Catalogue. EUT, Trieste, 739 pp.

Last modified: January, 16, 2024

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