The genus Bagliettoa accommodates a group of species formerly treated as members of Verrucaria, which are characterised by a radially sulcate involucrellum (missing in some species), immersed perithecia, and an endolithic thallus with a lithocortex, that occur on limestone or on dolomite, and have a mainly southern distribution in Europe. The group has been extensively treated by Halda (2003), who does not recognise it as worthy of being treated at generic rank and accepts a few species only. Molecular studies by Gueidan & al. (2007, 2009) have, however, demonstrated that the species included in Bagliettoa are indeed closely related, forming a well-defined lineage within the Verrucariaceae. The molecular study by Yuzon & al. (2013), which we mainly follow here, confirms that the genus is well-founded and recognizes 12 species worldwide, 8 of which, plus the poorly known B. crassiuscula and B. caesiella, are known from Italy (Nimis 2016).

References

Gueidan C., Roux C., Lutzoni F. 2007. Using a multigene phylogenetic analysis to assess generic delineation and character evolution in Verrucariaceae (Verrucariales, Ascomycota). Mycol. Res., 111: 1145-1168.
Gueidan C., Savi S., Thüs H., Roux C., Keller Ch., Tibell L., Prieto M., Heiðmarsson S., Breuss O., Orange A., Fröberg L., Amtoft Wynns A., Navarro-Rosinés P., Krzewicka B., Pykälä J., Grube M., Lutzoni F. 2009. Generic classification of the Verrucariaceae (Ascomycota) based on molecular and morphological evidence: recent progress and remaining challenges. Taxon, 58, 1: 184-208.
Halda J. 2003. A taxonomic study of the calcicolous endolitic species of the genus Verrucaria (Ascomycotina, Verrucariales) with the lid-like and radiately opening involucrellum. Acta Mus. Richnov., Sect. natur., 10, 1: 1-148.
Nimis P.L. 2016. The Lichens of Italy. A Second Annotated Catalogue. EUT, Trieste, 739 pp.
Yuzon J., Roux C., Lendemer J.C., Gueidan C. 2014. Molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of the endolithic lichen genus Bagliettoa (Ascomycota: Verrucariaceae). Taxon, 63, 6: 1177-1192.

Last modified: November, 26, 2022

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