Cora neoparabovei Oset, Flakus & Guzow-Krzem. sp. nov.

Fig. 3

Diagnosis.

Species very similar to C. parabovei, but differing in the distinct phylogenetic position within the genus, and in substitution of several nucleotide positions in nuITS rDNA (see also Suppl. material 2). Taxon is characterized by long, concentrically arranged setae present on the thallus surface and densely pilose margins.

Type.

Bolivia • Dept. La Paz, Prov. Nor Yungas, PNANMI Cotapata, N of Unduavi, by Sillu Tincara pre-Columbian route, 16°16'33"S, 67°52'60"W, elev. 3429 m, Yungas cloud forest, 27 June 2010, A. Flakus 16965 & P. Rodriguez (holotype KRAM; isotype LPB).

Description.

Thallus lichenized, terricolous over and between bryophytes, foliose, up to 8.5 cm across, composed of 3 semicircular, adjacent lobes; individual lobes up to 8 cm wide and 2.5–6.5 cm long, turned upwards, circular patches sparsely branched, without radial branching sutures, surface olive green to pale yellow in the centre with a slight concentric zonation of colour when fresh but when dried yellowish-grey. Margins thin, involute, green becoming yellow-green in the herbarium. Upper surface evenly to shallowly undulating when fresh, rugose when dry, with yellowish setae throughout, with greater density towards the centre of the thallus; setae consisting of hyphae up to 300 μm long and 5 μm wide, hyphae irregular in shape, sparingly branched and anastomosing, hyaline to very pale brown; lower surface ecorticate, felty-arachnoid (representing the exposed medulla), green-yellow when fresh, becoming yellow to brown when dried. Thallus in the section up to 550 μm thick, with upper cortex, photobiont layer, and medulla; upper cortex collapsed compacted; photobiont layer up to 250 μm thick, orange-brown (upper portion) to aerugious (lower portion); medulla 100 μm thick; clamp connections absent, papilliform hyphae absent. Hymenophore not present. No substances detected by TLC.

Habitat and distribution.

Cora neoparabovei grows on bryophytes and is known only from three localities in Nor Yungas province in La Paz department, occurring at elevations between 3210 m and 3429 m in Yungas cloud forest.

Etymology.

The name is derived from the Greek prefix néos, meaning “new”, combined with “ parabovei ”, referring to its similarity to C. parabovei.

Additional material examined.

Bolivia • Dept. La Paz; Prov. Nor Yungas, below Unduavi village, on the road La Paz – Chulumani, 16°18'27"S, 67°53'48"W, elev. 3211 m, Yungas cloud forest, on bryophytes, 31 May 2011, A. Flakus 22219 & O. Plata (KRAM L-71638; LPB). elev. 3210 m, Yungas cloud forest, on bryophytes, 31. May 2011, A. Flakus, O. Plata (UGDA–20029; LPB). • PNANMI Cotapata, 5 hours walking from Unduavi by Sillu Tincara pre-Columbian route, 16°16'33"S, 67°52'60"W, elev. 3429 m, Yungas cloud forest, 27 June 2010, A. Flakus 16855/2 & P. Rodriguez (KRAM; LPB).

Notes.

Cora neoparabovei is phylogenetically most closely related to C. bovei, C. campestris, C. celestinoa, C. parabovei, C. palaeotropica, C. pseudobovei, but morphologically and ecologically it is the most similar only to C. parabovei (Lücking et al. 2013, 2017). Both species are characterized by a rather unique pattern of dense hairs formed in concentric zones. Cora neoparabovei, is one of four described species with concentrically arranged surface hairs, aside from C. dewisanti B. Moncada, Suár. - Corr. & Lücking from Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia, and C. maxima Wilk, Dal-Forno & Lücking and C. parabovei also from Bolivia. Nevertheless, C. dewisanti differs in mostly glabrous surface except for concentric bands of whitish setae, and with distinct, whitish, glabrous margins and presents a corticioid-cyphelloid hymenophore, C. maxima has glabrous lobe margins and is much larger, whereas C. parabovei has different colour of thallus when is dried (grey), which has concentric zonation both when fresh and dried (Lücking et al. 2017).