Data from: Megalaria allenae (Ramalinaceae), a new sorediate species from southeastern North America previously confused with M. pulverea

Megalaria allenae, a blue-gray to green-blue sterile sorediate crustose lichen containing atranorin, fumarprotocetraric acid and zeorin, is described as new to science. It is corticolous on deciduous trees and endemic to swamp forests of the Atlantic Coastal Plain of southeastern North America. As sexual reproductive structures are unknown in the species, the generic placement and relationship with M. pulverea were determined using molecular phylogenetic analyses of ITS and mtSSU sequence data.

本研究正式描述了科学新种Megalaria allenae（艾伦大孢衣），该种为蓝灰至绿蓝色、不育且具粉芽的壳状地衣，含有阿特拉诺素（atranorin）、富马原扁枝衣酸（fumarprotocetraric acid）与泽奥林（zeorin）。该种地衣为树皮生类群，寄生于落叶乔木之上，特有分布于北美东南部大西洋沿岸平原的沼泽森林中。由于目前尚未发现该物种的有性生殖结构，研究通过对内转录间隔区（ITS）与线粒体小亚基（mtSSU）序列数据的分子系统发育分析，确定了其在大孢衣属的分类地位，以及与M. pulverea（粉芽大孢衣）的亲缘关系。