| Parmelia encryptata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Parmeliaceae |
| Genus: | Parmelia |
| Species: | P. encryptata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Parmelia encryptata A.Crespo, Divakar & M.C.Molina (2011)
| |
Parmelia encryptata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in the Iberian Peninsula, it was formally described as a new species in 2011 by Ana Crespo, Pradeep Kumar Divakar, and Maria del Carmen Molina. It is cryptic species that is a member of the Parmelia sulcata species complex, and it is morphologically indistinguishable from that lichen. Molecular phylogenetic analysis, however, shows that it is a genetically unique species originating from a different lineage.[1] Parmelia encryptata has been estimated to have diverged from the P. squarrosa complex about 5.4 million years ago.[2]