Phaeophyscia kaghanensis Niazi, Nadeem, Afshan & Khalid 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Niazi, Abdul Rehman
name: Afshan, Najam-ul-Sehar
name: Naseer, Arooj
name: Nadeem, Muhammad
name: Iftikhar, Fatima
name: Fayyaz, Iram
name: Ashraf, Asma
name: Imtiaz, Sawera
name: Fatima, Shahzadi Qamar
name: Khalid, Abdul Nasir
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Fungi
Ascomycota
Lecanoromycetes
Caliciales
Physciaceae
Phaeophyscia
Phaeophyscia kaghanensis

description: Phaeophyscia kaghanensis Niazi, Nadeem, Afshan & Khalid, sp. nov.
(Fig. 2)
The taxon is characterized by its greyish white to grey thallus, absence of asexual diaspores or cortical hairs, flat to slightly concave lobes, white medulla, black lower surface, large, Physcia-type ascospores of 24-30× 12-17 µm, and absence of secondary substances.
HOLOTYPE. — Pakistan. Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Garhi Dupatta, 34°36’N, 73°35’E, 817 m alt., on tree bark, 2.X.2021, N. S. Afshan & A. R. Niazi, CKR-22 (holo-, LAH [LAH37615]; GenBank[OP933723]).
ADDITIONAL SPECIMEN EXAMINED. — Pakistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kaghan Valley, Sharan, 34°30’N, 73°18’E, 2500 m alt., on tree bark, 22.VIII.2022, N. S. Afshan & A. R. Niazi, KA-17 (LAH [LAH 37616]; GenBank[OP 933724]).
ETYMOLOGY. — The specific epithet ‘kaghanensis’ (Latin) refers to the type locality of Kaghan Valley.
CHEMISTRY. — Thallus K-, C-, KC-, P-; no lichen substance detected by TLC.
HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION. — The known collections of the new species are from moist temperate, coniferous forest in the Himalaya in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The specimens were found on siliceous rock. The forest is dominated by species such as Pinus roxburghii Sarg., Pyrus pashia L., Quercus oblongata D.Don and Q. glauca Thunb. The maximum daily temperature of the region varies around 30-32°C during the summer, the average winter temperature is 4°C, and there is moderate rainfall.
MYCOBANK. — MB846997.
DESCRIPTION
Thallus
Foliose, epiphloeodal, greyish white to grey, remaining unchanged when wet, loosely attached to substratum, 3-5 cm in diam., more or less circular in outline.
Lobes
Densely, dichotomously or irregularly branched, without pruina, lobe tips greyish-white, flat to slightly concave, imbricate, usually upturned near the tips, 0.8-2.5 mm wide.
Soralia and isidia
Absent.
Upper surface
Dark brown, paraplectenchymatous, 20-25 µm thick.
Algal layer
30-35 µm thick.
Photobiont cells
Globose, 10-15 µm in diam.
Medulla
White.
Lower surface
Black, usually becoming pale to dark grey towards lobe tips, not rhizinate.
Rhizines
Absent.
Lower cortex
Paraplectenchymatous, dark brown, 28-35 µm thick.
Apothecia
Frequent, usually present, 2.5-4 mm in diam., stipitate, lacking cortical hairs, epruinose.
Disc
Chocolate brown to black, dull, epruinose, flat to strongly convex.
Margins
Prominent, creamy to pale white.
Epihymenium
Light brown to brownish orange, 13-17 µm.
Hymenium
Hyaline, 90-110 µm.
Hypothecium
Hyaline, 25-35 µm.
Ascus
Cylindrical to clavate, 70-83 × 22-28 µm.
Ascospores
Dark brown, ellipsoid, Physcia - type, 24-30× 12-17µm.
Paraphyses
Hyaline, branched and anastomosing, 2-3 µm thick, wider at the apex, 4-5 µm thick.
Pycnidia
Not found.
description: Published as part of Niazi, Abdul Rehman, Afshan, Najam-ul-Sehar, Naseer, Arooj, Nadeem, Muhammad, Iftikhar, Fatima, Fayyaz, Iram, Ashraf, Asma, Imtiaz, Sawera, Fatima, Shahzadi Qamar & Khalid, Abdul Nasir, 2023, A new species and a new record of the genus Phaeophyscia Moberg (Lecanorales, Physciaceae) from Pakistan supported by phenotypic and molecular phylogenetic analyses, pp. 51-59 in Cryptogamie, Mycologie 20 (4) on pages 52-56, DOI: 10.5252/cryptogamie-mycologie2023v44a4, http://zenodo.org/record/7867201