Researchers have unveiled five new species of lichen-forming fungi belonging to the genus Allographa, from the Western Ghats. The Ministry of Science and Technology said that the lichen-forming fungi are an important indicator of forest health and environmental quality because of their sensitivity to pollution and habitat changes.
The Ministry said that Researchers from the MACS Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, combined traditional taxonomic methods with modern molecular phylogenetics to reassess species diversity and evolutionary relationships within the lichen family Graphidaceae. The Ministry noted that the research represents the first comprehensive molecular phylogenetic investigation of Allographa species from the Western Ghats.
The study resulted in the discovery and description of five new species: Allographa keralensis, named after the state of Kerala; Allographa nayakae, honoring Indian lichenologist Dr. Sanjeeva Nayaka; Allographa paraconsanguinea; Allographa persistinspersa and Allographa semicarbonisata. In addition, the authors generated new molecular data for several previously known species, including Allographa calcea, Allographa macella, Allographa aquilonia, Allographa rimulosa, and Allographa effusosoredica.
Allographa is a genus of script lichens or lichen-forming fungi, that teams up with algae or cyanobacteria to create lichen, with elongated fruiting bodies in the family Graphidaceae. It has more than 200 species.
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