Yet another discovery in convergent evolution, i.e. when two organisms look virtually identical, but in fact are completely different species.
I first encountered this phenomena at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, where displayed were cacti and succulents which originated in vastly different parts of the world, but had developed the same form and structure in response to similar environmental conditions. Other examples include the Tasmania wolf and the North American wolf.
This most recent discovery was made by Duke University scientists who specialize in lichens. (I happened to have earned some summer money at my alma mater one summer drafting the hydrocarbon compounds of lichens which helped set up a long term fascination with lichens. Just to show this is not just a nerdy fascination, in addition to often being quite beautiful, they also serve as an early indicator of damaging levels of pollution) . The lichens studied -- one from North America and one from Australia -- were thought to be identical, but DNA analysis showed them to be different species.
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