TY -JOUR
AU -Qiang Ren
AU -Alexander G. Paukov
AU -Evgeny A. Davydov
AU -Mohammad Sohrabi
AU -Sevda Alverdiyeva
TI -A new species of <i>Circinaria</i> (<i>C. yiae</i>) from China revealed by morphological and molecular evidence, with the elevation of <i>C. hispidoides</i> to species rank
PY -2026
DA -2026-01-29
JO -Taiwania
VL -71
IS -1
SP -147
EP -153
UR -https://taiwania.ntu.edu.tw/abstract/2155
AB -A survey of lichen diversity in the eastern Inner Mongolia (Northeast China) has revealed a new species of the genus <i>Circinaria</i> described herein based on morphological and molecular evidence. The new species, <i>Circinaria yiae</i>, is characterized by its saxicolous, crustose, rimose to areolate, greyish olive-brown thallus surrounded by a white-grey prothallus. Peripheral lobes of thalli are enlarged and elongated, giving it a lobate appearance. Central areoles are moderately to strongly convex, producing pseudocyphellae and forming simple or branched suberect to prostrate projections. Thallus lacks secondary lichen metabolites. Phylogenetic analysis including other <i>Circinaria</i> species showed that the new taxon is phylogenetically close to <i>Aspicilia</i> (<i>Circinaria</i>) <i>wyomingensis</i> that differs from the newly described species by growing on soil and plant detritus, forming rhizomorphs, and containing aspicilin. <i>Aspicilia desertorum</i> var. <i>aspera</i> f. <i>hispidoides</i> Mereschk. is moved to <i>Circinaria</i> and raised to the species rank, <i>C. hispidoides</i>.
DO -10.6165/tai.2026.71.147