Agonimia species and other rare lichens in Central Poland

Eight lichen species are presented. Four of them: Agonimia flabelliformis, A. opuntiella, A. tristicula and Micarea adnata are new to Central Poland. Caloplaca cerina var. chloroleuca, Micarea hedlundii and Porina leptalea are very rare in the Świetokrzyskie Mts and in Central Poland.


INTRODUCTION
Although the Świętokrzyskie Mts have relatively well known lichen biota, recent explorations provide new species.As a result of these investigations eight species rarely reported from Poland have been found, including Agonimia flabelliformis, A. opuntiella, A. tristicula, Bacidia sulphurella, Caloplaca cerina var.chloroleuca, Micarea adnata, M. hedlundii and Porina leptalea.So far four of them were not recorded in Central Poland.
The species of the genus Agonimia deserve special attention.So far, seven species of this genus have been identified in Poland (Tab.1): Agonimia allobata, A. gelatinosa, A. opuntiella, A. repleta, A. tristicula, A. vouauxii and recently described A. flabelliformis.Most of them occur mainly in mountain areas and in northern part of Poland.Agonimia allobata, corticolous species or found also on plant debris, has been reported at several sites in Śnieżnik Massif and Bialskie Mts (Szczepańska 2008), Pieniny Mts (Kiszka 2000), Gorce Mts (Czarnota et al. 2005), Borecka Forest (Cieśliński 2003) and Mazovia region (Kubiak 2009).Agonimia gelatinosa is terricolous, on calcareous soil, muscicolous and grows also on plant debris.This rare species in Poland is known from Kujawy area (Ceynowa-Giełdon 2001), Gorce Mts (Czarnota 2000) and Sudety Mts (Kossowska 2008).Agonimia opuntiella in Poland is known mostly from mountain regions, the Eastern and Western Carpathians (Kiszka 1997;Bielczyk 2003;Fałtynowicz 2003) where it grows on calcareous soil and on bryophytes in sunny places.Agonimia repleta is more frequent species in this country.It is saxicolous, muscicolous and corticolous species found usually in wet forests on deciduous trees: Acer, Alnus, Fagus and Ulmus.It is reported for example from the north-eastern part of the country (Czyżewska et al. 2001;Cieśliński 2003), from its central part (Łubek 2012a, b) and from its south part (Czarnota, Coppins 2000;Kiszka, Kościelniak 2001;Bielczyk et al. 2004).Agonimia tristicula grows on calcareous soil, on bryophytes and on plant debris in open habitats beeing quite common in mountain areas, the Western and Eastern Tatry Mts and Pieniny Mts.Only locality in northern part of Poland, in the Mazurian Lake District is also known (Olech, Kiszka 1999).Agonimia vouauxii in this country is reported from anthropogenic habitats from Olkusz region (Bielczyk 2012).
The main aim of this work is to provide the most up-to-date information for the new and rare species in Central Poland, especially for those recently described.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Lichens were collected in 2001, 2007, 2010 and 2011 at four sites in the Świętokrzyskie Mts and in their immediate vicinity (Fig. 1): in 'Góra Miedzianka' nature reserve in the Chęcińsko-Kielecki Landscape Park, in 'Zapusty' slope in the Świętokrzyski National Park, in 'Świnia Góra' nature reserve in the Suchedniowsko-Oblęgorski Landscape Park and in 'Oleszno' nature reserve in the Przedborski Landscape Park, located in squares Ee 54, 60, 72, 77 of ATPOL grid square system (Cieśliński, Fałtynowicz 1993).The material was analyzed with standard morphological and anatomical methods.

Agonimia flabelliformis Halda, Czarnota & Guzow-Krzemińska
This species was described from the Czech Republic, and mentioned additionally from Germany and Great Britain (Guzow-Krzemińska et al. 2012).In Poland it is only known form Tatry Mts (Czarnota 2012).Its site in 'Oleszno' nature reserve is the first in Central Poland.
Species is characterized by a small flabelliform thallus and globose perithecia with 8-spored asci.For the full description of the species see Guzow-Krzemińska et al. (2012).A. flabelliformis resembles A. allobata, from which it differs only in the presence of flabelliform aggregations of goniocysts (Guzow-Krzemińska et al. 2012).Agonimia flabelliformis prefers rather humid, shaded, mossy places within deciduous forests where usually grows on bark and on soil.The collection from the Przedborski Landscape Park was found on the trunk of Fraxinus excelsior with the company of Bacidia pycnidiata and Bacidina sulphurella.It has a dull-green minutely flabelliform squamulose to coralloid thallus, a few grey-brown perithecia which are superficial or partially immersed between squamules.Specimen examined.ATPOL grid square Ee 60 − PrzLP, near the 'Oleszno' nature reserve, forest section no 79, 50°56'42"N/ 20°06'17"E, on a trunk of Fraxinus excelsior, 7 Feb.2008.
So far, in Poland ascocarps of Agonimia opuntiella have not been reported (Kiszka 1997).The collection from the Chęcińsko-Kielecki Landscape Park has no perithecia indeed, but the specimen from Świętokrzyski National Park produces a few small, inconspicuous black perithecia, located on the lobe base.They are sometimes partially hidden by adjacent squamules and blend with dark ground decaying bryophytes: more visible when wet. Spores of Agonimia opuntiella, similarly to A. tristicula, are produced per two in ascus, but they are much smaller.Ascospores of A. opuntiella from the Świętokrzyski National Park have dimensions of 60-63×26-28 μm and in A. tristicula, which was found in the Chęcińsko-Kielecki Landscape Park, they reach 72-96×36-48 μm.
Agonimia opuntiella from the Świętokrzyski National Park was already published, however under the name Phaeophyscia kairamoi -young thallus in the initial stage of growth was difficult to determine (Łubek 2003;Łubek, Cieśliński 2004;Łubek 2007).After a careful examination of the specimen, a few small perithecia have been found, thus now there is no doubt that it represents A. opuntiella.These two species are similar because of the presence of marginal blastidia and tiny hyaline hairs on the surface of thallus.Because of this mistake, Ph. kairamoi should be deleted from the list of lichens of the Świętokrzyskie Mts.Here A. opuntiella is reported also as new to Central Poland.This species occurs in many countries in Europe such as: Belgium, Luxembourg, France (Diederich et al. 2011), the Czech Republic (Vĕzda, Liška 1999), Estonia (Randlane, Saag 1999), Sweden and Norway (Santesson 1993), Switzerland (Clerc, Truong 2010) and Germany (Wirth et al. 2010).
Agonimia tristicula is reported here as new to the Świętokrzyskie Mts and Central Poland.It was found in the Chęcińsko-Kielecki Landscape Park, where grew on bryophytes on calcareous soil.It characterizes by dull to pale green or brown minutely squamulose thallus, which often forms small, aggregate patches.Perithecia are frequent, fairly big, barrel-shaped, black, matt and plicate-rugose.Asci produce two spores: 72-96×36-48 μm.In Europe this species is known from many countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, France (Diederich et al. 2011), Great Britain and Ireland (Smith et al. 2009), Switzerland (Clerc, Truong 2010) and Germany (Wirth et al. 2010).In Poland Bacidina sulphurella is known for example from: Góry Sowie Mts and Puszcza Knyszyńska Forest (Brand et al. 2009), Gorce Mts (Czarnota 2010) and Pogórze Wiśnickie foothills (Śliwa 2010).In Central Poland the species was reported from few localities in 'Las Bielański' forest reserve (Kubiak et al. 2010) and Wzniesienia Łódzkie Landscape Park (Hachułka 2011).It is surely more common species but formerly many times determined as Bacidina arnoldiana (see Czarnota 2010).

Micarea adnata Coppins
This is the first information on the occurrence of this species in the Świętokrzyskie Mts and in Central Poland.In this country it is known only from two mountain regions: Karkonosze Mts (Kossowska 2001) and Western Beskidy Mts (Czarnota 2007).In Europe this species is widespread; known from the Czech Republic (Vĕzda, Liška 1999), Sweden (Santesson 1993), Switzerland (Clerc, Truong 2010), Germany (Wirth et al. 2010) and other countries (see Czarnota 2007).
Micarea adnata is easily to identify owing to its characteristic apothecia and sporodochia (Czarnota 2007).It grows on the bark of coniferous trees, on wood or decaying stumps.The specimen mentioned here has numerous straw-coloured apothecia, which are immarginate or sometimes surrounded with distinctly visible white rim.Convex or globose sporodochia, resembling small apothecia, are numerous and produces macroconidia 8-9×2-3 μm.Due to the specific habitat requirements and its occurrence only in natural forests, M. adnata is proposed to be regarded as an indicator of ecological continuity for woodlands of lower mountain belt in Central Europe (Czarnota 2007).Also the site in Central Poland is located in such natural forest.'Świnia Góra' nature reserve is one of the oldest in the Świętokrzyskie Mts, being remnants of the Puszcza Świętokrzyska Forest.Specimen examined.ATPOL grid square Ee 54 − S-OLP, 'Świnia Góra' nature reserve, on lignum, 51 o 03'16"N/ 20 o 41'58"E, 10 Nov. 2010.

Porina leptalea
This species is known from many European countries, for example: Belgium, Luxembourg, France (Diederich et al. 2011), Switzerland (Clerc, Truong 2010), Germany (Wirth et al. 2010) and the Czech Republic (Vĕzda, Liška 1999).In Poland is a rare species found in mountain areas: Gorce Mts (Czarnota 2000), Pieniny Mts (Kiszka 2000), Bieszczady Niskie Mts (Kościelniak 2004) and Sudety Mts (Szczepańska 2007).In the Świętokrzyskie Mts it seems to be also rare.Its first four sites in the Świętokrzyski National Park have already been published (Łubek 2003) and here is presented additional locality of this species in this region.

CONCLUSIONS
The Świętokrzyskie Mts appear to be very interesting from lichenological point of view.The specific topography, various geology and often natural vegetation, make appropriate conditions for lichens both widespread and of narrow ecological-scale.Particularly noteworthy are the species occurring in Poland only in mountain areas, including Agonimia opuntiella, Micarea adnata and Porina leptalea.
Among the studied areas noteworthy are 'Oleszno' nature reserve in the Przedborski-Landscape Park and 'Świnia Góra' nature reserve in the Suchedniowsko-Oblęgorski Landscape Park.The natural character of forests in the 'Oleszno' nature reserve has already been underlined few times by the presence of very rare epiphytic lichens in Poland (Łubek 2009a, b).In this paper two next lichen-forming fungi are interesting: Agonimia flabelliformis and Bacidina sulphurella.First one because up to now it was found in Poland only once, and the second species because its real distribution in Europe is still poorly known.
'Świnia Góra' nature reserve appears to be also noteworthy protected area owing to a large amount of dead wood inhabited by lignicolous lichens, such as: Micarea adnata and M. hedlundii.

Table 1
Comparison of selected features of Polish representatives of the genus Agonimia