New records, range extensions and nomenclatural innovations for lichens and lichenicolous fungi from Alaska, USA

DILLMAN, K. L., AHTI, T., BJORK, C. R., CLERC, P., EKMAN, S., GOWARD, T., HAFELLNER, J., PEREZ-ORTEGA, S., PRINTZEN, C., SAVI, S., SCHULTZ, M., SVENSSON, M., THOR, G., TONSBERG, T., VITIKAINEN, O., WESTBERG, M. & SPRIBILLE, T. 2012. New records, range extensions and nomenclatural innovations for lichens and lichenicolous fungi from Alaska, U.S.A. - Herzogia 25: 177-210. Surveys of lichens and lichenicolous fungi have been taking place in the U.S. state of Alaska for more than 160 years, but until now assessing the full extent of their diversity has been hampered by the lack of a comprehensive and synonymized baseline inventory. In this paper we will begin to redress this by resolving outstanding nomenclatural issues and providing voucher data for a forthcoming catalog of Alaskan lichens, specifically: 1) synonymization,and/or resolution of status of species previously reported from Alaska, with emphasis on Alaskan types; 2) species new to the Alaska lichen biota; and 3) biogeographically significant new records from within Alaska. We report 91 species new to the flora of Alaska, including 65 lichens, three saprophytic calicioid fungi and 23 lichenicolous fungi. Of these, we report thirteen species, Biatora sphaeroidiza, Biatorella conspurcans, Chaenothecopsis arthoniae, Collemopsidium foveolatum, Dactylospora frigida, Halospora discrepans, Lecanora bryopsora, Opegrapha geographicola, Peltigera lyngei, Petractis clausa, Protoblastenia cyclospora, Thelocarpon impressellum and Usnea cylindrica as new to North America. In addition, Arthonia pruinata and Flavocetraria minuscula are new to Canada and Adelococcus alpestris new to the United States. We further place the following five names into synonymy: Lecania disceptans (Nyl.) Lynge [= Halecania alpivaga (Th.Fr.) M.Mayrhofer], Lecidea pallidella Nyl. [= Lecania subfuscula (Nyl.) S.Ekman], Lempholemma triptodes (Nyl.) Zahlbr. Leciophysma finmarkicum Th.Fr.), Polyblastia obtenta (Nyl.) Lynge [= Sporodictyon terrestre (Th.Fr.) S.Savic & Tibell], and Verrucaria pernigrata Nyl. [= Protothelenella sphinctrinoides (Nyl.) H.Mayrhofer & Poelt]. We propose restoring the long overlooked taxon Polyblastia exalbida (Nyl.) Zahlbr., currently known only from Alaska, to the North American lichen checklist. Finally, we propose the new combination Puttea caesia (Fr.) M.Svensson & T.Sprib. to replace Lecidea symmictella Nyl., which becomes a synonym.