Molecular and morphological data place Blarneya in Tylophoron (Arthoniaceae) Damien ERTZ, Frank BUNGARTZ, Paul DIEDERICH and Leif TIBELL Abstract: Based on morphological, anatomical, chemical, ecological and molecular evidence, Blar- neya is synonymized here with Tylophoron. The molecular phylogeny derived from sequences obtained from sporodochia of Blarneya places this genus, described to accommodate an anamorphic lichen with white cushion-shaped sporodochia, within Tylophoron. This conclusion is further supported by the discovery of Tylophoron-type ascomata emerging directly from thalli with Blarneya-type sporodochia and producing identical hyaline conidia. In one specimen pycnidia were also observed. This represents a surprising variety of morphologically different conidiomata. A different anamorphic type was previously reported from Tylophoron, and this is confirmed here by molecular analysis for T. modera- tum: besides thalli with ascomata this species has anamorphic thalli with an irregularly delimited brown sporodochial felt and brown conidia. Ascomata are not known from these entirely anamorphic thalli, whereas they do occur infrequently in Tylophoron species with Blarneya-type sporodochia. A key to all currently accepted species of Tylophoron is provided. In addition to the corticolous Tylophoron hibernicum, confined to humid forests, two saxicolous species with Blarneya-type sporodochia are described here as new: T. galapagoense, known only from Galapagos, differs from T. hibernicum by a thicker, more compact, beige rather than white, more strongly C+ red thallus, growing below sheltered rock overhangs in dry forests; T. stalactiticum has a C- thallus with stipitate, white, C+ red sporodo- chia; the species is known only from a single locality in Tenerife, on a large slope with volcanic boulders. Introduction The genus Blarneya was described by Hawksworth et al. (1979) for a sterile, corti- colous lichen with a pinkish white thallus and conspicuous white sporodochia. The thalli were considered to be initially lichenicolous on different species of Roccellaceae and on Belonia caudata, eventually becoming autono- mous after killing the host mycobiont and taking over its photobiont (Trentepohlia). The species was described from Ireland and later discovered in SW England and Wales, the Western Pyrenees (France and Spain) and Macaronesia (Canary Islands and Madeira) (Etayo 1989, 1992, 1998; Chambers & Purvis 2009). Recent field work by the authors has led to the discovery of additional localities of Blarneya in the Pyrenees, the Canary Islands, continental Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo), the USA (Florida and Hawaiian Islands) and the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador). Several saxicolous populations were discovered, differing slightly from the corticolous ones, suggesting that more than one species might be involved, implying that Blarneya could no longer be accepted as a monotypic genus. Among the material exam- ined, we also encountered specimens that were apparently fertile with Tylophoron-like ascomata. This observation led us to wonder if the sporodochial thalli called Blarneya might be an anamorph of Tylophoron, or if these specimens were just sterile Blarneya overgrowing fertile thalli of Tylophoron. The genus Tylophoron has recently been shown to D. Ertz: National Botanic Garden, Department Bryophytes-Thallophytes (BT), Domein van Bouchout, B-1860 Meise, Belgium. Email: damien.ertz@br.fgov.be F. Bungartz: Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos; mailing address: Av. 6 de Diciembre N 36-109 y Pasaje California, caja postal 17-01-3891, Quito, Ecuador. P. Diederich: Musée national d’histoire naturelle, 25 rue Munster, L-2160 Luxembourg, Luxembourg. L. Tibell: Department of Systematic Botany, Evolution- ary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden. The Lichenologist 43(4): 345–356 (2011) © British Lichen Society, 2011 doi:10.1017/S002428291100020X