IMA Fungus 1(2): 167-170, doi: 10.5598/imafungus.2010.01.02.09
Cryptic species in lichen-forming fungi
Ana Crespo‡, H. Thorsten Lumbsch§‡ Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain§ Grainger Bioinformatics Center, Field Museum, Department of Science and Education, Chicago
© Ana Crespo, H. Lumbsch. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits to copy and distribute the article for non-commercial purposes, provided that the article is not altered or modified and the original author and source are credited. Citation:
Crespo A, Lumbsch HT (2010) Cryptic species in lichen-forming fungi. IMA Fungus 1(2): 167-170. https://doi.org/10.5598/imafungus.2010.01.02.09 |  |
Abstract
This contribution provides a synopsis of the presentations and discussions during the SIG session on cryptic speciation in lichen-forming fungi held during IMC9. In several cases, a re-examination of morphology against the background of molecular phylogenetic evidence revealed, sometimes subtle, morphological and/or chemical characters, supporting the distinction of particular clades at species level. However, there are also examples of cryptic species in which no morphological characters could be identified to distinguish between lineages. Several cases were presented in which distinct lineages are correlated with biogeographical patterns. When and how to name cryptic species was debated, and the use of terms such as “complex” or “aggregate” commended where the taxa formed part of a single lineage.
Keywords
Ascomycota, biogeography, lichens, Parmeliaceae, phylogeny, species concepts