The first complete mitochondrial genome of crustose Lichen Lecanora argopholis, with implication for the phylogeny of lichenicolous fungi

We present the first complete mitochondrial genome of the ecologically diverse crustose lichen Lecanora argopholis, which fills a critical gap in lichen genomic resources. The 47,791 bp circular mitogenome displays the characteristic high AT content of 67.5% and contains the standard 15 protein-coding genes, as well as two rRNAs and 21 tRNAs. Our phylogenetic analysis of 20 lichen-forming fungi produced unexpected results: L. argopholis formed a strongly supported clade with Parmotrema species, contradicting traditional morphological classifications. While Cladonia, Usnea, and Heterodermia maintained the expected monophyletic groupings, we discovered previously unrecognised evolutionary links between Bryoria and Alectoria. These findings provide valuable mitochondrial markers for future studies and highlight the potential of mitogenomics to resolve long-standing taxonomic puzzles in lichenised fungi. Our results emphasise the increasing significance of molecular data in modernising lichen systematics, especially for morphologically challenging groups.