New and Little Known Species of Parmelia (Lichens) in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Parmelia (Xanthoparmelia) monticola, a new species from western North Carolina, produces usnic acid, fumarprotocetraric acid, physodalic acid, traces of stictic acid, and, as an accessory substance, traces of an unidentified substance (possibly sublimbatic acid). Another new species, Parmelia (Hypotrachyna) oostingii, is common and widespread in the spruce-fir forests of the Southern Appalachians and is also known from a single collection from southern Chile. Parmelia oostingii produces atranorin, gyrophoric acid, an unknown substance, and 2 to 4 trace unidentified substances. Parmelia densirhizinata Kur., P. thysanota Kur., and P. gonylophora Hale, three sorediate species of section Hypotrachyna closely related to P. oostingii, are characterized morphologically and chemically. Microphyllinic acid is reported for the first time in the Parmeliae as a constant component of P. thysanota. Parmelia nakanishii Hale, recently described from the Southern Appalachians, is identical to P. thysanota, a species previously known only from Mexico. The Southern Appalachian distributions for these previously rarely collected species are reported.