Phylogenetic revision of South American Teloschistaceae (lichenized Ascomycota, Teloschistales) reveals three new genera and species

Members of the poorly investigated family Teloschistaceae in South America, mostly from Bolivia and Peru, were examined using molecular and morphological data here for the first time. In recent phylogenetic reclassifications of Teloschistaceae, South American representatives were poorly represented but shown to belong to subfamilies Teloschistoideae and Xanthorioideae. In this study, we expanded the sampling of South American taxa and investigated mainly the lobate, sublobate, and squamulose members of <i>Caloplaca</i> s.l., using morphological characters and a molecular phylogeny based on a combined three-locus data set (one mitochondrial and two nuclear loci). Building upon new phylogenies at the family and subfamily levels (Teloschistoideae), we propose here three new genera: <i>Andina, Aridoplaca</i>, and <i>Cinnabaria</i>, with the type species <i>Andina citrinoides, Aridoplaca peltata</i>, and <i>Cinnabaria boliviana</i>. We also propose to reduce <i>Tarasginia</i> to synonymy with <i>Sirenophila</i> and <i>Tayloriellina</i> to synonymy with <i>Villophora</i> and introduce three new combinations: <i>Dufourea ottolangei, D. volkmarwirthii</i>, and <i>Villophora erythrosticta. Scutaria andina</i> is reported as new to Bolivia. A critical revision of the subfamily Brownlielloideae confirmed recent findings that it is an artifactual taxon based on a “chimeric” data set, with the type genus being part of Teloschistoideae.