Peltigera phyllidiosa (Peltigeraceae, Ascomycotina), a new species from the Southern Appalachians corroborated by its sequences

The new species Peltigera phyllidiosa Goffinet & Miadlikowska from the Sout hern Appalachians, eastern U.S.A., is closely related to P. collina and P. neckeri. Like these species it has a glabrous upper cortex and black finger nail- or saddle-shaped apothecial discs, but differs in its laminal phyllid ia. Variation in nucleotide sequences of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (I TS) of the nrDNA repeat region correlates with the presence or absence of p hyllidia, supporting the distinction of P. phyllidiosa from P. collina and P. neckeri. (C) 1999 The British Lichen Society.