Morphology, Chemistry, and Phylogeny Reveal Two New Species of the Genus Lecidella (Ascomycota, Lecanoraceae) from Anhui Province, China

In this study, two new species, Lecidella biformis Y. S. Feng & Y. Y. Zhang and L. versicolor Y. S. Feng & Y. Y. Zhang, are described from Anhui Province, China, based on morphological, chemical, and molecular evidence. Phylogenetic analyses show that these two new species, together with L. albida Hafellner, form a well-supported clade characterized by small apothecia (less than 0.5 mm in diameter), a hyaline, yellowish-brown or nut-brown hypothecium, and the presence of atranorin. Lecidella biformis is distinguished by dimorphic apothecia, ranging from brown with a paler margin to entirely brown, a blackish-brown or nut-brown epithecium, a yellowish-brown or nut-brown hypothecium, and the presence of atranorin and methyl 2′-O-methylmicrophyllinate. Lecidella versicolor is characterized by apothecia that are yellow to reddish-brown when young and nut-brown at maturity, an orange-brown epithecium, a hyaline to yellowish-brown hypothecium, anastomosed paraphyses, and the presence of atranorin only. Detailed descriptions, discussions, and illustrations are provided for the new species, along with a key to all known Lecidella species from China.