Taxonomists describe two new crustose lichen species from Thailand, Astrochapsa pruinosa and Ramonia sirindhorniana, and report Acanthothecis tetraphora for the first time in Asia. Diagnoses rely on reproductive structures and ascospore number, size, and form.
Key findings
- A. pruinosa is separated from A. pseudophlyctis by ascoma shape and ascus spore count. R. sirindhorniana differs from R. kandleri in smaller ascospores and ascomata and fewer spores per ascus. A. tetraphora is newly recorded for Asia.
Why this matters globally
Reliable taxonomy underpins biodiversity inventories, habitat monitoring, and future biogeographic studies. Discoveries in Thailand also suggest that tropical lichen diversity remains incompletely documented.
Thai researcher contribution
Ramkhamhaeng University researchers connected Thai field material and taxonomic expertise with an international specialist network, bringing specimens from Thailand into the formal global literature.
Limitations to consider
The abstract emphasizes morphology and does not report molecular evidence, sampling coverage, population size, prevalence, or conservation status. Taxonomic novelty should not automatically be interpreted as rarity or endangerment.