title: Hidden diversity before our eyes: Delimiting and describing cryptic lichen-forming fungal species in camouflage lichens (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota).
abstract: Molecular data provide unprecedented insight into diversity of lichenized fungi, although morphologically cryptic species-level lineages circumscribed from sequence data often remain undescribed even in well-studies groups. Using diagnostic characters from DNA sequence data and support from the multispecies coalescent model, we formally describe a total of eleven new species and resurrect two others in the hyperdiverse lichen-forming fungal family Parmeliaceae. These include: four in the genus Melanelixia - M. ahtii sp. nov., M. epilosa comb. nov., M. hawksworthii sp. nov., and M. robertsoniorum sp. nov.; six in Melanohalea - M. austroamericana sp. nov., M. beringiana sp. nov., M. clari sp. nov., M. columbiana sp. nov., M. davidii sp. nov., and M. tahltan sp. nov.; and three species in Montanelia - M. occultipanniformis sp. nov., M. saximontana comb. nov., and M. secwepemc sp. nov. Morphological, ecological and geographical features were revised to corroborate species descriptions. These species can consistently be distinguished by differences in nucleotide position characters in the fungal barcoding marker (ITS) and high speciation probabilities. This study helps close the "taxonomic gap" between molecular species delimitation studies and formal taxonomy by incorporating statistical evaluation of lineage independence, diagnostic differences in DNA data, and additional consideration of differences in morphology and species distributions.
authors.affiliation: Science & Education, The Field Museum, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA. Electronic address: sleavitt@fieldmuseum.org.
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Leavitt
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences #2715, North Dakota State University, PO Box 6050, Stevens Hall, Fargo, ND, 58108-6050, USA.
authors.forename: Theodore L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Esslinger
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Vegetal II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, E-28040, Spain.
authors.forename: Pradeep K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Divakar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Vegetal II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, E-28040, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crespo
authors.affiliation: Science & Education, The Field Museum, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.
authors.forename: H Thorsten
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Lumbsch
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008011:Lichens / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal
keywords: Coalescent theory; DNA barcoding; Integrative taxonomy; Molecular taxonomy; Parmeliaceae; Species delimitation