A NEW SPECIES IN THE LECANORA-SUBFUSCA GROUP CONTAINING USNIC ACID INADDITION TO ATRANORIN

Lecanora pseudogangaleoides spec. nov. is a saxicolous lichen in south -eastern Australia. It fits anatomically into the L. subfusca group (= Lecanora s.str.), but differs from most previous concepts of that gro up in containing usnic acid in addition to attranorin. The presence of usnic acid is now considered to be of less importance in that group, and species containing usnic acid may well belong to Lecanora s.str. W ithin L. pseudogangaleoides chemical variation with respect to the pre sence of xanthones was observed and two subspecies are distinguished. Lecanora pseudogangaleoides s.str. lacks xanthones, whereas L. pseudog angaleoides subsp. verdonii subsp. nov. contains the arthothelin chemo syndrome in addition to the normal occurrence of the psoromic acid che mosyndrome. A key for the distinction of L. pseudogangaleoides and sim ilar species is included.