Multilocus Molecular Phylogeny of the Group (Umbilicariaceae, Lichenized Ascomycota) Supports Species Level and Neo-Endemic Status of .

The Northeast Asian endemic species of lichen-forming fungus is herein discussed in the global context of biogeography and phylogeny of the group. The name has been erroneously used by lichenologists for spp. from high latitudes or altitudes worldwide, as there are omphalodisc apothecia and rough "crystals" of a necral layer on the upper surface. To test the monophyly and phylogenetic relationships within the group, four independent DNA regions (/, , , and ) were used for six rare species, including a dozen specimens of from its locus classicus in Kamchatka. The study is based on the phylograms obtained using maximum likelihood and a Bayesian phylogenetic inference framework. As a result of phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses, it was shown that is a neo-endemic of the areas of modern volcanism in Kamchatka, Japan, as well as in the Kurile Islands, where this species was recorded for the first time. The morphology of is herein described and illustrated. Increasing the role of the sexual process and reducing asexual thalloconidiogenesis are shown to be apomorphic traits in the group. The combination of sexual and asexual reproduction provides adaptive advantages in changing environmental conditions.