About Lecanora hybocarpa (Tuck.) Brodo
Lecanora hybocarpa is a crustose lichen species that belongs to the family Lecanoraceae. It was originally described as a species of the genus Parmelia in 1849, and was transferred to the genus Lecanora by Irwin Brodo in 1984. In 2025, a study reassessed material previously identified as Lecanora hybocarpa from Europe and Macaronesia. The study compared these specimens with North American collections, analyzing their morphology, using thin-layer chromatography, and examining DNA sequence data from nrITS and mtSSU. The study's authors concluded that true Lecanora hybocarpa has not yet been confirmed to occur in Europe. They found that European specimens matching the general morphology of this species instead represent several distinct taxa. These include the existing species L. sinuosa, plus three newly described species from the study: L. cryptosinuosa, L. macaronesica, and L. subsinuosa. The same 2025 study also reported the first record of L. pseudargentata in Europe. The authors recommended using DNA sequencing to achieve reliable identification within this species complex. They also suggested using the informal aggregate name Lecanora hybocarpa agg. for specimens that have the "hybocarpa" morphotype but have not been verified with DNA sequencing.
