New species and additional records in the lichen genus Malmidea from India

Abstract

A detailed examination of Malmidea specimens deposited in the herbarium LWG and freshly collected samples resulted in the description of 10 new species. Malmidea glabromarginata has a finely verrucose thallus and granifera-type whitish apothecial margins. Malmidea globosa is characterized by having a strongly verrucose thallus with almost spherical warts and piperis-type apothecial margins. Malmidea incrassatispora has a thalline excipulum and ascospores with end wall thickenings. Malmidea kalbii has a thalline excipulum, dark brown to black apothecial discs and ascospores mostly < 15 μm in length. In Malmidea lutea the medulla of the thallus and verrucae is white to cream-coloured, with beige-coloured apothecial discs. Malmidea palghatensis has a thalline excipulum and with medulla of verrucae pink-coloured. Malmidea rubra has an irregularly verrucose thallus, with the medulla of verrucae orange-red and whitish apothecial margins. Malmidea subindica has light to dark orange-brown apothecial discs, 2–4-spored asci, and broadly ellipsoid ascospores mostly exceeding 30 μm in length. Malmidea upretii has prominent and confluent verrucae with an orange-red medulla, and ascospores exceeding 25 μm in length. Malmidea verrucosa has a characteristic whitish grey, densely verrucose thallus, dark reddish brown apothecial discs and contains atranorin. Additionally, seven species, viz. Malmidea fenicis (Vain.) Kalb et al., M. leptoloma (Müll. Arg.) Kalb & Lücking, M. piae (Kalb) Kalb, M. piperina (Zahlbr.) Aptroot & Breuss, M. reunionis Kalb, M. sulphureosorediata Cáceres et al. and M. vinosa (Eschw.) Kalb et al., are reported as new distributional records for the Indian lichen biota. The world key of Malmidea by Breuss & Lücking (2015) has been updated with all the species discovered after 2015 by mentioning specific couplets.