Phylogenetic placement within <i> Lecanoromycetes</i> of lichenicolous fungi associated with <i> Cladonia </i> and some other genera

Though most of the lichenicolous fungi belong to the <i>Ascomycetes</i>, their phylogenetic placement based on molecular data is lacking for numerous species. In this study the phylogenetic placement of 19 species of lichenicolous fungi was determined using four loci (LSU rDNA, SSU rDNA, ITS rDNA and mtSSU). The phylogenetic analyses revealed that the studied lichenicolous fungi are widespread across the phylogeny of <i>Lecanoromycetes</i>. One species is placed in <i>Acarosporales</i>, <i>Sarcogyne sphaerospora</i>; five species in <i>Dactylosporaceae</i>, <i>Dactylospora ahtii</i>, <i>D. deminuta</i>, <i>D. glaucoides</i>, <i>D. parasitica</i> and <i>Dactylospora</i> sp.; four species belong to <i>Lecanorales</i>, <i>Lichenosticta alcicorniaria</i>, <i>Epicladonia simplex</i>, <i>E. stenospora</i> and <i>Scutula epiblastematica</i>. The genus <i>Epicladonia</i> is polyphyletic and the type <i>E. sandstedei</i> belongs to <i>Leotiomycetes</i>. <i>Phaeopyxis punctum</i> and <i>Bachmanniomyces uncialicola</i> form a well supported clade in the <i>Ostropomycetidae</i>. <i>Epigloea soleiformis</i> is related to <i>Arthrorhaphis</i> and <i>Anzina</i>. Four species are placed in <i>Ostropales</i>, <i>Corticifraga peltigerae</i>, <i>Cryptodiscus epicladonia</i>, <i>C. galaninae</i> and <i>C. cladoniicola</i> comb. nov. (= <i>Lettauia cladoniicola</i>)<i>.</i> Three new species are described, <i>Dactylospora ahtii</i>, <i>Cryptodiscus epicladonia</i> and <i>C. galaninae</i>.