Thamnolia tundrae
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| Thamnolia tundrae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Pertusariales |
| Family: | Icmadophilaceae |
| Genus: | Thamnolia |
| Species: | T. tundrae |
| Binomial name | |
| Thamnolia tundrae Brännström & Tibell (2018) | |
 | |
Thamnolia tundrae is a species of lichen in the family Icmadophilaceae.[1] Its distribution covers the arctic tundra of Eurasia and extends to the North American Aleutian Islands. Its thallus features white, hollow, cylindrical tufts, which are morphologically the same as the other members of genus Thamnolia. Thamnolia tundrae, however, is phylogenetically distinct from these other similar species. Secondary compounds found in the lichen include baeomycesic acid and squamatic acid. The species is suspected to have survived the latest glaciation in coastal refugia in regions close to its current range.
Thamnolia tundrae was described as a new species in 2018 by Ioana Onut-Brännström and Leif Tibell after multilocus phylogenetic analyses showed that the genus Thamnolia contains three genetically distinct but outwardly very similar lineages. The new taxon corresponds to "Lineage A" of earlier studies, a clade that differs from others in its genus chiefly in DNA sequences and chemistry. The holotype was collected on Täljstensvalen mountain (Jämtland, Sweden) and is preserved in the UPS herbarium (specimen L-812491). Although morphologically indistinguishable from T. subuliformis and T. vermicularis, T. tundrae forms a well-supported clade in analyses of up to six nuclear markers and is fixed for a UV-positive chemical profile, supporting its recognition as a separate species.[2]
In a 2019 reassessment of the "troublesome genus" Thamnolia, Per Magnus Jørgensen proposed that the three lineages delimited by multilocus phylogenies—T. vermicularis, T. subuliformis and T. tundrae—should be treated as subspecies of a broadly circumscribed T. vermicularis. He argued that because the lineages are morphologically indistinguishable yet occupy largely allopatric ranges, their differentiation fits the traditional concept of infraspecific geographic races rather than full species status. Accordingly, Jørgensen recognised T. vermicularis subsp. vermicularis (widespread), subsp. taurica (eastern Alps) and subsp. tundrae (Arctic), and he published the new combination Thamnolia vermicularis subsp. tundrae. Despite this proposed reduction in rank, the change has not been universally adopted. Index Fungorum still lists Thamnolia tundrae as the current, accepted species-level name, indicating continued support for its recognition as a distinct species as of July 2025.[3]