PHENOTYPE AND GENOTYPE BASED CLADISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE GENUS STRIGULA (FOLIICOLOUS LICHENS) PRESENT IN THE WESTERN GHATS REGION OF KARNATAKA, INDIA

Cladistics analysis was done based on the phenotypic and genotypic characters for the foliicolous species of the lichen genus Strigula collected in the Western Ghats, India. The genus is characterized by having subcuticular thallus, with perithecia,.1-3 septate ascospores and simple or sparsely branched, anastomosed paraphyses. The study reports 11 species. Flavobathelium was the only other genus belonging to the family Strigulaceae and was used as out group for the cladistics study. A phenotype-based cladistics analysis of 11 species using 59 characters was generated to analyse the cryptic nature of this genus. By the cladogram it was evident that only the morphological characters are not enough for the species delimitation. Thus, cladogram Was generated using DNA sequences data. Five species of the-genus Strigula viz., S. melanobapha, S. orbicularis, S. nitidual, S. nemathora f. nemathora, S. macrocarpa and F. epiphyllum were sequenced by ITS1 and ITS4 primers. Clone based sequencing method was employed to ensure the quality. The cladogram generated by the sequence data was much more resolved than that of the morphological data and hence, the molecular data was useful to delimit these species within the genus.