The Genus Fulgensia A. Massal. & De Not., a Diverse Group in the Teloschistaceae

Abstract

The morphology and the anatomy of the 13 species presently included in the genus Fulgensia were surveyed. Caloplaca aurea and C. paulii, two speciesregarded as closely related to Fulgensia by earlier authors, were also included in the study. Fulgensia was found to exhibit a great variation in both morphology and anatomy. The differences in size, shape and septation of the spores, in the anatomy of cortex and exciple, and in the gross morphology, will presumably motivate a different taxonomic treatment in the future. A tentative separation of the species into four different groups is proposed here. Group A comprises F. australis and F. chanousiae, which appear close to species in Caloplaca sect. Gasparrinia. Groups B and C, each comprises one species, F. schistidii and F. canariensis respectively and group D comprises the remaining nine species, including the type species F. fulgens. The last group may be further split by a more detailed investigation. The present separation of Fulgensia into two subgenera cannot be regarded as taxonomically sound. The genus is probably polyphyletic and the different groups are probably related to different groups within the large genus Caloplaca.