The Lichen Genus Sclerophyton in the Sonoran Desert
1995; American Bryological and Lichenological Society; Volume: 98; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/3243305
ISSN1938-4378
AutoresJosé M. Egea, Pilar Torrente, José M. Egea,
Tópico(s)Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
ResumoFour species of the lichen genus Sclerophyton are recognized in the coastal areas of the Sonoran Desert. Sclerophyton cerebriforme Egea & Torrente and S. rostratum Egea & Torrente, are described as new. Sclerophyton circumscriptum (Tayl.) Zahlbr. is reported for the first time from America. Additional notes on Sclerophyton elegans and S. inscriptum are presented. Sclero- phyton occidentale Herre is excluded from the order Arthoniales. Sclerophyton was described by Eschweiler (1824) based on S. elegans Eschw. Subsequently, this taxon was regarded as a section of Opegrapha (Stizenber- ger 1862) or as a subgenus of Chiodecton (Vainio 1890). Following Zahlbruckner (1907), Sclerophy- ton has been treated as an accepted genus in the family Chiodectonaceae or recently, in the family Opegraphaceae (e.g., Eriksson & Hawksworth 1991) within the order Arthoniales (= Opegraphales). The genus includes eight species (Tehler 1990) that are found in tropical and temperate areas of both hemispheres. Three of the species have been reported from North America: Sclerophyton cali- fornicum, S. inscriptum and S. occidentale (Egan 1987). In connection with our study of the family Op- egraphaceae for the lichen flora of the Sonoran Des- ert, coordinated by T. H. Nash III, we report Scler- ophyton californicum, S. circumscriptum a species not previously recorded from America, and two new species - S. cerebriforme and S. rostratum - from this area.
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