This study revises the cosmopolitan saxicolous lichen species of Rinodina (Ascomycetes) in Australia and New Zealand, including maritime southern South America and subantarctic islands, based on morphological, anatomical and molecular data. The cosmopolitan genus Rinodina used to comprise 200 species (Hawksworth et al. 1995). In the meantime, approximately 250 species are known (Kirk et al. 2001), which are widely distributed in both hemispheres, from (ant)arctic to tropical regions. 29 saxicolous species occur in Australia and New Zealand.
We expand on the revision of saxicolous species of Rinodina (with exception of the xanthone containing species R. thiomela and R. xanthomelana with yellow thalli) in southern Africa, carried out by Matzer & Mayrhofer (1996).

The genus Rinodina belongs to the Ascomycetes, the biggest fungus group worldwide, where the ascus represents the most important character. The usually lichen-forming order of the Lecanorales includes 40 families, being characterised by apothecial ascomata and very variable ascospores. Within the family of the Physciaceae nom. cons. (Eriksson et al. 2003), the large genus Rinodina is heterogeneous (e.g. Hafellner et al. 1979, Mayrhofer 1982) because of a multitude of ascospore types. Different ascus types were described by Rambold et al. (1994). In recent years these results are confirmed by molecular phylogenetic studies by Grube & Arup (2001) and Helms et al. (2003).

The latest monograph of Rinodina from the group of lichen taxonomists under the direction of H. Mayerhofer at Graz University concentrates on the saxicolous species of Australia and New Zealand and includes all known taxa from these areas. In addition to the 29 species previously known, 6 new species had to be described (2 from Australia, 4 from New Zealand); 9 species, excluded from the genus but cannot be transferred to other genera at this time, are also treated fully. Each species has a full-length description which also includes a discussion and a series of photographs illustrating the spore ontogeny, but there are no photographs of the habitus. A full list of specimens examined is given and distributions are illustrated by maps. The lists of studied specimens also include material from other parts of the World, especially the Southern Hemisphere (e.g. Chile, South Africa), but also Austria etc. The classical treatment of taxa based mainly on spore ontogeny is supported by some new characters and by phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear ITS rDNA. The new characters take account of ascospore types and pigments. Some of the classical spore types in Rinodina grade into other types. Regarding pigments, it was found that Bagliettoana-green is relatively common but at least 3 other pigments occur, one identified as Arceutine-yellow and two as yet unidentified. The phylogentic analysis is based on the alignment of 71 taxa (40 from GenBank and 31 newly generated). For the convenience of users three keys are given, one for all saxicolous species of Rinodina s.l. in the studied area and two for Australia and New Zealand 8 INTERNATIONAL LICHENOLOGICAL NEWSLETTER 39 (2) exclusively. Some minor criticisms might be added. Some more biogeographical discussion would be of interest even at this stage of knowledge. In the introduction on page 7 it is noted that according to a paper by McCarthy one third of Australian lichen taxa are considered to be endemic - but there is no discussion of this for the species under study, nor is a comparison made between Australia and New Zealand. The first sentences in the chapter on materials and methods giving figures on studied material and the storage of voucher specimens (p. 12) are identically repeated in the summary (p. 155). With this body of information, the monograph will certainly serve its purpose and is a further important step forward in the knowledge of this large genus.

International Lichenological Newsletter 39 (2), page 7-8

This study, which has been undertaken with the supervision of the world’s leading authority on the genus, Helmut Mayrhofer (Graz), takes a traditional approach, but also includes some molecular phylogenetic information. The bulk of the work, based on 814 collections many of which were made by Mayrhofer, comprises descriptions, distribution maps, photomicrographs of the ascospores that are so important in the genus, and lists of specimens examined. Full bibliographic and type information is supplied. In all 21 taxa are recognized in the region, of which four are described as new to science; some new synonymies are proposed, and some names are excluded for different reasons. Particular attention was paid to the pigments, using HPLC and HPTLC as well as traditional TLC. The molecular studies, based on freshly sequenced material and also data downloaded from GenBank, used ITS rRNA sequences showed ascus types and hypothecium pigmentation to be highly conserved features, corroborating the recognition of “Physcia-“ and “Buellia-type” groups within the “genus”. The genus is paraphyletic with the sister groups often foliose or fruticose genera, but the ascospore types do not support larger monophyletic groups. In due course it is inevitable that formal taxonomic changes will be made amongst these lichens, but that should await the analysis of many more specimens on a worldwide scale. For the moment, however, the author has produced a revision that will enable these taxa to be reliably identified for the first time.

Mycotacon vol. 102, 2007