A novel lichen inhabiting, or lichenicolous, fungus Taitaia aurea was found growing in the montane forests of Kenya with the epiphytic tripartite cyanolichen Crocodia cf. clathrata. To accommodate the new species, T. aurea, a monotypic genus Taitaia was introduced within Gomphillaceae (Ostropales), a family of mainly lichen-symbiotic species in the tropics. The new fungus is characterized by aggregated ascomata with yellow margins and salmon red discs developing from a single base.
Suija A, Kaasalainen U, Kirika PM, Rikkinen J. 2018. Taitaia, a novel lichenicolous fungus in tropical montane forests in Kenya (East Africa). Lichenologist 50: 173–184, doi.org/10.1017/S0024282918000026.
Keywords: Ascomycota, Corticifraga, Gyalidea, Taita Hills, taxonomy, Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot
