Vol. 47 No. 184 (2023)
Lobariella foreroana B. Moncada & Lücking is one of three new species of lobarioid Peltigeraceae described in Colombia and dedicated to Prof. Dr. Enrique Forero, who sadly passed away on September 5, 2023. The species is only known from the southern Colombian Andes and was found in Vereda Santa Teresita, near the Laguna de la Cocha in the department of Nariño, in a small reserve of well-preserved Andean forest at around 2,800 m altitude. The genus Lobariella associates mostly with green algae and is characterized by forming macrolichen s with small pores (pseudocyphellae) or pale spots (maculae) on the upper surface, while the underside lacks pores and produces a pale tomentum. The diagnostic feature of the new species is the narrow lobes, often dissected into small lobules at the tips. Lobariella species are found in humid mountain forests and paramos, forming conspicuous macrolichen communities with other lichens; they play an important role in the water cycle by absorbing large quantities of water after rainfall, preventing soil erosion, and balancing the microclimate. Their complex secondary chemistry is also the object of bioprospection studies. Until recently, the genus contained only a few species, but studies, especially in Colombia, have revealed an unexpected diversity, with 30 species currently registered. Besides Lobariella foreroana, two more species of lobarioid Peltigeraceae are described as new in the same article: Sticta henrici B. Moncada, D. Rincón & Lücking and Yoshimuriella enfogoa B. Moncada & Lücking.
Bibiana Moncada, Licenciatura en Biología, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de
Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia
Diego Rincón-Murillo, Programa de Biología, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia
Robert Lücking, Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlín, Alemania
Three new lobarioid lichens (lichenized Ascomycota: Peltigeraceae) from Colombia in memory of Enrique Forero
Figure 1. Lobariella foreroana B. Moncada & Lücking sp. nov. (holotype above, isotype below). A. Thallus in situ. B. Lobe tip showing reticulate pseudocyphellae and young apothecia. C. Lobe surface with marginally lobulate apothecia. Scale = 5 mm
doi: https://doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.1978
