Additions to the biota of lichenized fungi of Poland

the biota lichenized Poland . Acta mycol. 44 (2): 249–257, 2009. New records of five lichenized fungi from Poland are provided . Hypotrachyna afrorevoluta , Lecanora quercicola , Rhizocarpon superficiale and Strigula ziziphi are new to Poland. Of these, Strigula ziziphi is reported also as new to Central Europe and Hypotrachyna afrorevoluta as new to the Carpathians. Additionally, Thelenella muscorum var. octospora is recorded from its second locality in Poland as new to the Polish Carpathians. Hypostictic acid chemosyndrome has been noticed for the first time in European (Poland) and South American (Bolivia) populations of Rhizocarpon superficiale . 2008; Motiejūnaitė, Czyżewska 2008; Motiejūnaitė, Kukwa 2008; Kukwa, Jabłońska 2009; Zhurbenko et al. 2009). In the paper we present further four records of lichenized fungi new to Poland, of which Strigula ziziphi is new to Central Europe, and Hypotrachyna afrorevoluta and Thelenella muscorum var. octospora are respectively new to the Carpathians and the Polish Carpathians. Additionally hypostictic acid is reported for the first time from European and South American specimens of Rhizocarpon superficiale .


INTroDUCTIoN
Currently known lichen biota of Poland include about 1600 lichens (Fałtynowicz 2003) and 222 lichenicolous fungi and myxomycetes (Czyżewska, Kukwa 2009), and can be considered as rather rich and well investigated.However, the country is also still non-uniformly investigated, and several additional species, including taxa new to science, can be found, what has been recently demonstrated by several authors (Cykowska, Flakus 2005;Kukwa, Diederich 2005;Czarnota 2007;Flakus 2007;Kukwa, Kubiak 2007;Czarnota, Kukwa 2008;Kossowska 2008;Motiejūnaitė, Czyżewska 2008;Motiejūnaitė, Kukwa 2008;Kukwa, Jabłońska 2009;Zhurbenko et al. 2009).In the paper we present further four records of lichenized fungi new to Poland, of which Strigula ziziphi is new to Central Europe, and Hypotrachyna afrorevoluta and Thelenella muscorum var.octospora are respectively new to the Carpathians and the Polish Carpathians.Additionally hypostictic acid is reported for the first time from European and South American specimens of Rhizocarpon superficiale.

MATErIAL AND METHoDS
The present study is based on the specimens deposited in following lichen herbaria: B, KrAM, LG, LPB, UGDA.The anatomy and morphology of the material were studied by traditional tools used in lichenology.secondary metabolites were identified by thin layer chromatography (TLC) in solvents A, B and/or C according to the methods of orange et al. (2001).Localities of all Polish examined specimens are mapped according to the modified ATPoL grid square system (Cieśliński, Fałtynowicz 1993;Kukwa et al. 2002).

Morphology and chemistry.
The species has foliose, grey or grey-green, rather compact thallus, up to ca 4 in diam., lobes are rounded, separate, but more or less overlapping towards the center, with smooth surface, and sparsely ciliate margin.Soredia are produced in laminal or submarginal soralia formed from pustules.Lower surface is usually shiny and brown, dark brown to almost black up to the margin.The species produces atranorin in the cortex and gyrophoric (major) and lecanoric (minor) acids together with related accessory substances (in trace amounts) in medulla (Swinscow, Krog 1988;Ertz et al. 2008).The cortex is K+ yellow, whereas the medulla reacts C+ pink-red and KC+ red.
Notes.H. afrorevoluta is very similar to H. revoluta (Flörke) Hale, and all Polish herbarium specimens were found under the latter name.Both taxa are sorediate and produce the same lichen substances, but they differ mainly in the formation of soralia. in H. afrorevoluta they are formed from laminal or submarginal pustules, which break and start to produce granular soredia, whereas in H. revoluta soralia develop apically on the upper surface of relatively large and elongated lobes, and soredia are more farinose than in H. afrorevoluta.According to Ertz et al. (2008) they can be also distinguished by the colour of lower surface of young lobes; it is brown to dark brown or blackish and shiny in H. afrorevoluta, whereas in H. revoluta it is usually pale brown and matt.
In so far studied Polish material the soralia were well developed in few specimens of both taxa, and thus the determination of them was not difficult.Some thalli were covered with dust or algae, deformed, degenerated and probably collected from polluted or disturbed ecosystems, and then soralia were often badly developed (i.e.some produced at the apices, but some formed also laminally, or very few young soralia were present).In such cases, we used the colour of lower cortex for the determination of species, and in these samples it was rather pale brown at the margin of lobes, and thus suggesting H. revoluta; however it was not matt, but shiny.We attributed those specimens to H. revoluta, but with a hesitation.their true identity may become more clear when the morphology of all Polish collections is studied.It was already noted by Ertz et al. (2008), that specimens can not be always determined.
Habitat.The species is mainly corticolous on bark of many tree species (Swinscow, Krog 1988;Ertz et al. 2008), but in Poland one specimen was also found on rock.Two specimens from northern Poland were found in humid forests, but habitat details were missing on remaining labels.
Distribution in Poland.H. afrorevoluta is reported here for the first time from Poland and the Carpathians.It can be rather widely distributed in the country as localities of this lichen are known from northern and southern part of Poland.Possibly it can be more common than H. revoluta, similar as in Belgium, northern france, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (Spier et al. 2007;Ertz et al. 2008).Coppins & P. James, Lichenologist 11: 145 (1979).
When we revised the material of both taxa from UGDA, we found, that pycnidia containing macroconidia were usually difficult to find on most thalli.Pycnidia are very small and often pale brown, and they can be mistaken for very young apothecia or dust impregnation.Sometimes, pycnidia with microconidia were much more abundant than those with macroconidia.Therefore, several squash preparations are advised to be made for the identification of single specimen.Some specimens did not posses conidiomata with macroconidia at all, and such material could not have been determined.
Habitat.L. quercicola grows on wood and bark of trees (Quercus spp.and Olea europaea) in open places in woodlands (Coppins, James 1979;Boom, Brand 2008).In Poland it was found on wood of fallen decorticated branch (probably Salix acutifolia) on grey sand dune.The place was well lit and sheltered from wind.
General distribution.The species is known only from Europe and so far it has been reported from France, Germany, Great Britain, Portugal and Spain (Coppins, James 1979;Boom, Brand 2008).
This species is diverse in regards of chemical compounds.In European populations either stictic or norstictic acid have been recorded as a main substances, whereas in North American material hypostictic and stictic acids, with norstictic acid as a minor compound (Geyer et al. 1984;Wirth 1995;Feuerer, Timdal 2004).In specimens examined by us from Poland and Bolivia hypostictic and stictic acids were detected as a major compounds, together with related additional substance in small amount (possibly cryptostictic acid).It is the first record of this substance from European and South American populations of R. superficiale.the norstictic acid was not confirmed from Polish specimens neither by both TLC analysis and microchemical reactions under the microscope with KoH solution (characteristic red, needle-shaped crystals were not observed).
Three Polish specimens were collected from vertical, south exposed granite rock in the subnival belt.
Notes.So far this species has not been found with perithecia in Poland, and therefore it can be very easily overlooked in the country; difficulties may also appear in the identification of such material; however up to our knowledge, there is no other corticolous lichen species with 1-septate macroconidia as described above and Trentepohlia as photobiont.
Habitat.The species S. ziziphi grows on different types of trees, and at least in Iberian Peninsula it is photophilous and somewhat nitrophilous lichen growing in rather humid places (Etayo 1993;roux, Sérusiaux 2004).In Poland it was found on bark of willow in open, but humid place by the river.
Distribution in Poland.S. ziziphi it is reported for the first time from Poland and Central Europe.Its finding in this regions appears rather unexpected, but the species can develop sterile thalli with macropycnidia only (as in Polish material), therefore it can be easily overlooked and its true distribution may have not yet been determined.Morphology.T. muscorum var.octospora is a terricolous or epiphytic species, characterized by thin, whitish or pale brown crustose thallus, with chlorococcoid photobiont, and small, rounded or broadly pyriform, dark brown perithecia, ussually immersed in substratum, 0.3-0.6 mm in diam.It has persistent, branched and anastomozed paraphysoids, functionally bitunicate, thick walled, Thelenella-like asci, with 6-8 ascospores; ascospores are thin-walled, muriform, elongate-ellipsoid and colourless, ca 40-60 × 12-20 μm (Mayrhofer, Poelt 1985;Fryday, Coppins 2004;Orange et al. 2009).
Habitat.This lichen occurs mainly on bryophytes, plant debris, basic-barked trees and rarely on soil, basic rocks or lichen thalli (Mayrhofer, Poelt 1985;Fryday, Coppins 2004;orange et al. 2009).In Poland it was discovered on plant debris in mylonitized area of the subnival belt in the Tatra Mts.
Distribution in Poland.The taxon was originally described in 1870 as Verrucaria muscicola var.octospora from northern Poland (Mayrhofer, Poelt 1985), however, it has not been included in the last checklist of lichen biota.Here we report its second Polish locality from Tatra Mts., which is also the first record for the Polish Carpathians.