Rarely seen extreme host specificity across the Neotropics between the lichens Pyrenula psoriformis, Pyrenula sauria sp. nov. (Eurotiomycetes: Pyrenulaceae), and Bonellia trees.

Pyrenula psoriformis agg. shows extreme host specificity by growing exclusively on Bonellia trees, changing their bark characteristics, and occurring in every analyzed Bonellia individual across a Mexican tropical dry forest.

• Why it matters: Tropical lichen–tree relationships are usually loosely linked to shared bark traits, so this rare, tightly linked association offers a way to test how ecological patterns persist across space.
• What they did: The study surveyed lichens on more than 200 trees from 57 species in a Mexican tropical dry forest, then assessed whether the Pyrenula–Bonellia association extends across the Neotropics.
• The result: Evidence suggests the association is maintained across the Neotropics, making it a potentially useful wild model for studying fungal dispersal, species interactions, and ecological pattern continuity across geographical scales.

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