Taxonomy and phylogeny of the lichen genus Bunodophoron (Sphaerophoraceae, Lecanorales) in New Caledonia, with the description of two new species

Abstract

Abstract This study presents a taxonomic revision of Bunodophoron in New Caledonia. Extensive fieldwork was conducted in the region, particularly in the montane rainforests of Grande Terre. An integrative approach was employed, in which specimens underwent morphological assessment, chemical analysis via thin-layer chromatography, and DNA sequencing for four molecular markers: ITS, β-tubulin, MCM7, and RPB1. Phylogenetic analyses were performed within a global framework, incorporating morphologically similar and related taxa from Australasia, the Neotropics, and the Paleotropics, including previously unsequenced taxa analyzed for the first time in this study. Using this approach, four species of Bunodophoron lichens were identified in New Caledonia, including two new to science, B. flagellare Ant.Simon, N.Borg & Wedin, sp. nov. and B. imbricatum Ant.Simon, N.Borg & Wedin, sp. nov.