Porina mazosioides Lucking & Vezda

Porina aff. mazosioides Lücking & Vězda, Willdenowia 28 (1 / 2): 210. 1998. Fig. 16 D Type. TANZANIA • N-Uluguru Mountains; 1700–1850 m; mossy forest; Dec. 1972; Pócs et al. 6851 (holotype: PRA). Notes. This taxon is represented by two specimens, one from southern Madagascar (25321 F) and one from northern Madagascar (20280 G). Both specimens are recovered in the Porina s. str. clade, and their mtSSU sequences cluster closely with a sequence from P. longispora Vězda, reported by Ertz and Diederich (2022) (Fig. 2). However, they differ markedly from P. longispora in possessing 7 - septate ascospores rather than the characteristic 15 - septate ascospores described by Lücking and Vězda (1998). In addition, the specimens feature irregularly arranged, angular-rounded photobionts, whereas Lücking and Vězda (1998) and Ertz and Diederich (2022) describe rectangular photobionts in radiate plates for P. longispora. Morphologically, the specimens most closely resemble P. mazosioides, but also differ in photobiont morphotype. The ascospores are 7 - septate, measuring (42.5 –) 47.5–53.5 (– 55.5) × (5.3 –) 5.6–6.3 (– 6.7) µm (n = 36), slightly longer than the 40–50 × 5–6 µm reported for P. mazosioides by Lücking and Vězda (1998). Furthermore, the thallus appears less rough, whereas the perithecial surface is more rugose than in P. mazosioides. Porina aff. mazosioides is exclusively associated with algal clade 35 and is the only sequenced taxon assigned to this clade within the rbc L phylogeny (Figs 4, 5). Overall, this taxon shows morphological similarity to P. mazosioides and phylogenetic affinity to P. longispora, while differing from both taxa in phenotypic characters. Pending additional sampling and type-linked sequences, they are therefore retained as P. aff. mazosioides. Specimens examined. MADAGASCAR – Diego Suarez Prov. • Antsiranana, West of Sambava, Marojejy National Park, along trail from Camp Marojejia down to Camp Mantella, rather dense humid evergreen lower montane forest, 14°26'07"S, 49°46'05"E, alt. ca. 650 m, 23 Oct. 2014; Ertz 20280 G (BR, TAN). – Toliara Prov. • ca. 26 km Northwest of Fort-Dauphin (Tolagnaro), National Park of Andohahela, South part of parcel 1, ca. 6 km West of the village of Malio, 24°55'46.9"S, 46°43'55.9"E, alt. 515 m, dense humid forest, 28 Nov. 2019; Ertz 25321 F (BR, TAN).