Gomphillus caribaeus Belongs in the New Genus Bryogomphus, (Lecanorales: Pilocarpaceae

Abstract

A revision of the lichen genus Gomphillus Nyl. in the Americas reveals that G. caribaeus W. R. Buck does not belong in that genus, but is a member of the Pilocarpaceae in the Lecanorales. Because of its distinctive features, the species cannot be accommodated in any of the known genera of that family, and the new genus Bryogomphus Lücking, W. R. Buck, Sérus. & L. I. Ferraro is established for it. Bryogomphus is characterized by turbinate, vertically elongate, obconical apothecia with a disc-shaped top, anastomosing paraphyses forming a reticulum around individual asci, amyloid asci of the Sporopodium-type, and filiform, multiseptate ascospores. Most similar within the Pilocarpaceae is Bapalmuia marginalis, but that species differs in having unbranched, strongly coherent paraphyses and Byssoloma-type asci with a darker tubular structure in the tholus. Calopadia turbinata (Tuck.) Sérus. & Lücking comb. nov. is also related but has a paraplectenchymatous excipulum, largely unbranched paraphyses, and oblong-ellipsoid, muriform ascospores. Bryogomphus shows a remarkable convergence with Gomphillus in the Gomphillaceae (Ostropales), being extremely similar even in many details, except for the amyloid asci, slightly thicker and irregularly bent paraphyses, externally thinly byssoid excipulum with labyrinthical structure, and disc-shaped top of the apothecia.