Topeliopsis

The genus Topeliopsis View in CoL View at ENA

Within the broad group of thelotremoid lichens, Topeliopsis is characterised by urceolate to perithecioid apothecia with an exfoliating thalline margin fused to a non-carbonised proper exciple bearing periphyses, and by large, halonate, transversely septate or muriform, usually I+ purple-blue ascospores ( Kantvilas & Vězda 2000; Kalb 2001; Rivas Plata et al. 2010). When first described by Kantvilas & Vĕzda (2000), Topeliopsis was recognised as heterogeneous, and two disparate species were soon transferred to a new genus, Melanotopelia , by Mangold et al. (2008b). Additional species were added to the genus by Kalb (2001), Aptroot (2002), Frisch & Kalb (2006), Coppins & Aptroot (2008), Mangold et al. (2009), Rivas Plata et al. (2010), Lumbsch et al. (2012), Weerakoon et al. (2015), Kantvilas (2020) and van den Boom et al. (2023), so that the genus currently contains about 20 species. However, some of these additions to the genus, including the Tasmanian species, T. kantvilasii Mangold & Lumbsch , which has non-amyloid, pigmented ascospores, do not share all these characters. Other species, even though they generally fit Topeliopsis , display varying degrees of dark pigmentation in the exciple. Thus, Topeliopsis as currently applied remains heterogeneous, and the classification of all constituent species is yet to be resolved. The related genus Gintarasia differs chiefly by having chroodiscoid apothecia where the margin exfoliates in layers and the disc is plane and ultimately exposed, and by its non-amyloid ascospores. Schizotrema differs chiefly by having a multi-layered, carbonised proper exciple and nonhalonate, non-amyloid ascospores.