Austroplaca sibirica (lichenized Ascomycota, Teloschistaceae) – a bipolar lichen with an austral origin documented by molecular data

Based on molecular data, the austral lichen genus Austroplaca is shown to be represented in the Northern Hemisphere by the species Caloplaca sibirica. Accordingly, we make the combination Austroplaca sibirica. It grows on detritus and lignum in Canada, Greenland, Iceland, northern Scandinavia, Svalbard and Siberia and its southern range includes Patagonia (Argentina, Chile) and Kerguelen Islands. As its related species and genera are inhabitants of the Southern Hemisphere we hypothesize that it has migrated from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere.