Recently, the number of cryptic species known has increased considerably, showing that species diversity has in many cases been underestimated in the past. Parmelia sulcata is a widely distributed species and one of the most common taxa in temperate Europe. The first intra-specific molecular studies on P. sulcata showed an unexpectedly high genetic variability. In the present work, we study the biodiversity of this taxon including specimens from four continents and using three molecular markers (nuITS, nuIGS rDNA, and partial β-tubulin gene). Two monophyletic groups of P. sulcata were encountered; one of these is epitypified as P. sulcata s. str and the other one is segregated as the new cryptic species P. encryptata sp. nov. Issues surrounding the lectotypification of Parmelia sulcata have also been elucidated.

Parmelina tiliacea is a common, widely distributed species in south-western Europe, easily identifiable by morphology and much used as an air pollution bioindicator in many regions. A molecular phylogenetic survey of samples from many geographical areas, using Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian inference of nuITS and mtLSU rDNA regions, revealed a group of samples geographically restricted to a small region of the Iberian Peninsula and genetically separated from the other P. tiliacea specimens studied. These samples are morphologically indistinguishable from P. tiliacea, apart from subtle anatomical characters in the ascomata (hyphae of the exciple and ascospore width), which are frequently absent. Although geographically different, the two taxa occupy similar habitats and are even sympatric in some areas, indicating that they do not exchange genetic material. This previously overlooked, and apparently endemic lineage, is described as P. cryptotiliacea sp. nov., and the name Lichen tiliaceus is epitypified by a sequenced specimen to fix the application of Parmelina tiliacea to the widespread genotype. A second unexpected result was the discovery that the morphologically distinct P. pastillifera was nested within P. tiliacea. These two cases stress the need to use molecular tools to elucidate species concepts even within widespread morphologically well-characterized macrolichens. Such investigations are necessary to improve our understanding and estimation of biodiversity, and to facilitate the development of sound biodiversity conservation strategies for lichens.

Sanfratellano is a native Sicilian horse breed, mainly reared in the north east of the Island, developed in the 19th century from local dams and sires with a restricted introgression of Oriental, African and, more recently, Maremmano stallions. In this study, the genetic relationships and admixture among Sanfratellano, the other two Sicilian autochthonous breeds and Maremmano breed were assessed using a set of microsatellites. The main goals were to infer the impact of Maremmano breed in the current Sanfratellano horse and to provide genetic information useful to improve the selection strategies of the Sanfratellano horse. The whole sample included 384 horses (238 Sanfratellano, 50 Sicilian Oriental Purebred, 30 Sicilian Indigenous and 66 Maremmano), chosen avoiding closely related animals. A total of 111 alleles from 11 microsatellite loci were detected, from four at HTG7 to 15 at ASB2 locus. The mean number of alleles was the lowest in Oriental Purebred (6.7), the highest in Sanfratellano (8.3). All the breeds showed a high level of gene diversity (He) ranging from 0.71 ± 0.04 in Sicilian Oriental Purebred to 0.81 ± 0.02 in Sicilian Indigenous. The genetic differentiation index was low; only about 6% of the diversity was found among breeds. Nei’s standards (DS) and Reynolds’ (DR) genetic distances reproduced the same population ranking. Individual genetic distances and admixture analysis revealed that: (a) nowadays Maremmano breed does not significantly influence the current Sanfratellano breed; (b) within Sanfratellano breed, it is possible to distinguish two well-defined groups with different proportions of Indigenous blood.