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53LICHENS - ЛИШАЙНИКИ
Halecania ahtii (Leprocaulaceae), a new lichen species from the Russian Far East
I. S. Zhdanov
Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
iszhdanov@yandex.ru
Abstract. A new species, Halecania ahtii, is described and illustrated. It is only known from the type locality in the Russian Far East. It is characterized by thin, very inconspicuous thallus consisting of small, dispersed areoles and most likely containing argopsin (identified by fast orange-red reaction with P), as well as relatively small ascospores, and a lichenicolous habit on different saxicolous host species on acidic rocks. A key for Halecania species containing argopsin is proposed.
Keywords: biodiversity, Primorye Territory.
Halecania ahtii (Leprocaulaceae) — новый вид лишайников с Российского Дальнего Востока
И. С. Жданов
Ботанический институт им. В. Л. Комарова РАН, Санкт-Петербург iszhdanov@yandex.ru
Резюме. Приводится описание нового вида — Halecania ahtii. Данный вид известен только из типового местонахождения на Российском Дальнем Востоке. Он характеризуется тонким, малозаметным талломом, образованным мелкими, рассеянными ареолами, относительно мелкими аскоспорами, возможным содержанием аргопсина (наличие вещества определено по быстрой оранжево-красной реакции таллома с Р) и лихенофильным произрастанием на различных эпилитных видах на кислых горных породах. Составлен ключ для определения видов рода Halecania, содержащих аргопсин.
Ключевые слова: биоразнообразие, Приморский край.
The genus Halecania M. Mayrhofer (Leprocaulaceae) was separated by Mayrhofer (1987) from Lecania A. Massal. s. l. Halecania is mainly saxicolous, still poorly known and rarely collected, but widely distributed in both hemispheres. Actually, it contains 22 species (Wijayawardene et al, 2020), of which about 10 were described during the last 20 years (van den Boom, Etayo, 2001; van den Boom, Elix, 2005; van den Boom, 2009; Andreev, 2010; Aptroot, Moon, 2015; Kondratyuk et al., 2015; van den Boom et al., 2017). In Russia until now 5 species of Halecania were known, 2 of them — in the Russian Far East (Spisok..., 2010; Urbanavichene, Urbanavichus, 2019), whereas Andreev (2010) recently described H. santessonii Andreev from the Primorye Terri-
https://doi.org/10.31111/nsnr/2020.542.405
405
tory. In the present paper, a new species, H. ahtii, is described from a locality, which is very close to the type locality of H. santessonii.
Material and Methods
Morphological and anatomical features were studied by the standard methods using both dissecting and compound microscopes. Hand-cut sections were studied in water or 10% solution of KOH (K). Photographs and measurements were made using microscopes Zeiss Stemi 2000-CS and Zeiss Axio Imager A1. The standard method of spot chemical test was used for the identification of lichen substances. The dimensions of apothecia and spores are given as: (min-){x-SD}-{x+SD}(-max), where min and max are the extreme values, x — arithmetic mean, SD — standard deviation.
Halecania ahtii I. Zhdanov, sp. nov. (Plates I, II)
Mycobank: MB 835596.
Differs from Halecania micacea Fryday et Coppins by thinner and inconspicuous thallus, smaller and often densely crowded apothecia, lichenicolous habit, and growing on acidic rocks.
Type: Russia, Primorye Territory, Olga District, SE of the top of Mt. Snezhnaya, 43°43'19.2"N, 134°27'16.6"E, 830 m a. s. l., crowded large boulders among deciduous forest, on thallus of crustose saxicolous lichens, 18 IX 2007, I. Zhdanov (LE — holotype).
Thallus (Plate I: 1-4) thin, very scanty and inconspicuous, mainly of dispersed, rarely confluent areoles, grayish-brown, matt, epruinose, lichenicolous on thallus of crustose lichens. Areoles 0.1-0.2 mm diam., granulose or subsquamulose, roundish or irregular in shape, when well developed with uneven, knobby surface. Hypothallus absent. Photo-biont trebouxioid, 7-10 ^m diam. Apothecia (Plate I: 1-5) (0.16)0.18-0.32(0.38) mm diam. (n=13), sessile, slightly constricted at base, lecanorine or zeorine, concave to flat, one to several (to 5) per areole, often densely aggregated and sometimes entirely covering areoles; disc dark brown to almost black, matt, epruinose, mainly flat; thalline margin always present, but in old apothecia sometimes slightly reduced, concolorous with the thallus; proper margin often present, darker than thalline margin but lighter than disc. Hypothecium hyaline, 36-40 |im high. Hymenium (Plate II: 1-3) hyaline, 35-40 |im high; epihymenium brown. Paraphyses simple or sparsely branched, rarely anastomosed, ca. 1.4 |im thick. Asci clavate, 8-spored, 43-48x 8-13 |im. Ascospores 1-septate, ellipsoid, hyaline, (6.9)7.8-9.0(9.3) x (2.9)3.0-3.8 (4.7) ^m (in water; excluding perispore; n = 25) or (8.4)9.2-10.6(11.2) x (5.1)5.6-6.6(6.9) ^m (in water; including perispore; n = 25); perispore thick, clearly visible, strongly swollen in K. Pycnidia not seen.
Chemistry. Thallus P+ fast orange-red (without yellow stage), K-, C-. TLC method was not used in order to avoid breaking a very scanty specimen. However, considering the fact that some species of Halecania contain argopsin, which distinctively reacts with P (fast orange-red), we conclude that the new species probably also contains argopsin.
Plate I. Halecania ahtii. 1-4 — thallus with apothecia; 5 — section of apothecium. Scale bars: 1-4 — 0.5 mm, 5 — 50 |m. All from the holotype, 18 IX 2007, I. Zhdanov, LE.
Plate II. Hymenium of Halecania ahtii. Scale bars: 20 |im. All from the holotype, 18 IX 2007, I. Zhdanov, LE.
Etymology. The species is named in honor of Prof. Teuvo Tapio Ahti (Helsinki) to appreciate his contribution to lichenology and also his great interest to Russia.
Distribution and ecology. Halecania ahtii is only known from the type locality in Sikhote-Alin Range in the Russian Far East, where it grows on saxicolous crustose lichens (Aspicilia spp.) in upper part of the forest belt on acidic rocks, together with Anamylopsora pulcherrima (Vain.) Timdal. Considering the fact that the Russian Far East is insufficiently studied by lichenologists and that Halecania ahtii is very inconspicuous small lichen, this species probably is not rare in this region and has to be overlooked in the field.
Discussion
Apart from Halecania ahtii, the species of the genus Halecania containing argopsin are H. elaeiza (Nyl.) M. Mayrhofer, H. micacea, H. pepegospora (H. Magn.) van den Boom, H. ralfsii (Salwey) M. Mayrhofer, and H. viridescens Coppins et P. James. In contrast with H. ahtii, these species have mostly a European distribution and a different ecology (Coppins, 1989; Fryday, Coppins 1996; van den Boom, Elix 2005). In addition, H. pepegospora and H. viridescens are sorediate. The new species probably is very close to H. micacea, a little-known, very rare British endemic lichen. Both taxa have thalli of dispersed, brownish areoles, and relatively small ascospores. However, the type material of the latter species differs from the specimen of H. ahtii by thicker and better developed thallus and apothecia which are never densely aggregated. Moreover, they differ considerably by ecology and geographical distribution: H. micacea grows on calcareous rocks and is known only from Scotland, when H. ahtii is a lichenicolous lichen on acidic rocks and is known only from Primorye Territory.
Key to the species of Halecania containing argopsin
1. Thallus sorediose...................................................................................................................................................2
— Thallus esorediose................................................................................................................................................3
2. Soralia greyish-blue; corticolous................................................................................................H. viridescens
— Soralia black; saxicolous...........................................................................................................H. pepegospora
3. Thallus continuous to rimose-areolate............................................................................................................4
— Thallus with dispersed convex areolae............................................................................................................5
4. Thallus rimose-areolate; on acidic rocks on seashore....................................................................H. ralfsii
— Thallus continuous to weakly rimose; on calcareous rocks not on seashore.........................H. elaeiza
5. Apothecia often densely aggregated; lichenicolous on acidic rocks;
thallus very thin ...........................................................................................................................................H. ahtii
— Apothecia never densely aggregated; on calcareous rocks, not lichenicolous;
thallus thicker..........................................................................................................................................H. micacea
Specimen of Halecania micacea examined for comparison. Great Britain: Scotland. Mid-Perthshire, Ben Lawers NNR, Meall Garbh, crags at head (W) of Coire Riadhailt, 800 m a. s. l., on mica-schist buttress at base of east-facing crag, 25 VII 1989, A. M. Fryday (UPS — isotype).
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to Anders Nordin for assistance in my work in UPS herbarium. Mikhail Zhurbenko for help in making microscopic measurements and photographs. and Irina Stepanchikova for English corrections. I am also grateful to the anonymous reviewers. The study was carried out within the framework of the institutional research project "Flora of lichens and bryophytes of Russia and phytogeographically important regions" (AAAA-A19-119020690077-4) of the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
References
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Aptroot A., Moon K. H. 2015. New lichen records from Korea, with the description of the lichenicolous Halecania parasitica. Herzogia 28(1): 193-203. https://doi.org/10.13158/heia.28.L2015.193
Coppins B. J. 1989. On some species of Catillaria s. lat. and Halecania in the British Isles. The Lichenologist 21(3): 217-227. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282989000447
Fryday A. M., Coppins B. J. 1996. Three new species in the Catillariaceae from the Central Highlands of Scotland. The Lichenologist 28(6): 507-512. https://doi.org/10.1006/lich.1996.0048 Kondratyuk S. Y., Lokös L., Farkas E., Oh S.-O., Hur J.-S. 2015. New and noteworthy lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi 3. Acta Botanica Hungarica 57(3-4): 345-382. https://doi.org/10.1556/034.57.2015.3-47
Mayrhofer M. 1987. Studien uber die saxicolen Arten der Flechtengattung Lecania in Europa I. Halecania gen. nov. Herzogia 7(3-4): 381-406.
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van den Boom P. P. G. 2009. New Halecania species (Catillariaceae) from Europe and South America. The Bryologist 112(4): 827-832. https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745-112.4.827
van den Boom P. P. G., Elix J. A. 2005. Notes on Halecania species, with descriptions of two new species from Asia. The Lichenologist 37(3): 237-246. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282905014787
van den Boom P. P. G., Etayo J. 2001. Two new sorediate species of lichens in the Catillariaceae from the Iberian Peninsula. The Lichenologist 33(2): 103-110. https://doi.org/10.1006/lich.2001.0307 van den Boom P. P. G., Sipman H. J. M., Divakar P. K., Ertz D. 2017. New or interesting records of lichens and lichenicolous fungi from Panama, with descriptions of ten new species. Sydowia 69: 47-72.
Wijayawardene N. N., Hyde K. D., Al-Ani L. K. T., Tedersoo L., Haelewaters D., Rajeshkumar K. C., Zhao R. L., Aptroot A., Leontyev D. V., Saxena R. K. et al. 2020. Outline of fungi and fungus-like taxa. Mycosphere 11(1): 1060-1456. https://doi.org/10.5943/mycosphere/11/1/8
Литература
Andreev M. 2010. Halecania santessonii, a new lichenicolous lichen from Russia. The Lichenologist
42(3): 249-252. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282909990703 Aptroot A., Moon K. H. 2015. New lichen records from Korea, with the description of the lichenicolous Halecania parasitica. Herzogia 28(1): 193-203. https://doi.org/10.13158/heia.28.L2015.193
Coppins B. J. 1989. On some species of Catillaria s. lat. and Halecania in the British Isles. The Li-chenologist 21(3): 217-227. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282989000447
Fryday A. M., Coppins B. J. 1996. Three new species in the Catillariaceae from the Central Highlands of Scotland. The Lichenologist 28(6): 507-512. https://doi.org/10.1006/lich.1996.0048
Kondratyuk S. Y., Lokos L., Farkas E., Oh S.-O., Hur J.-S. 2015. New and noteworthy lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi 3. Acta Botanica Hungarica 57(3-4): 345-382. https://doi.org/10.1556/034.57.2015.3-4.7
Mayrhofer M. 1987. Studien uber die saxicolen Arten der Flechtengattung Lecania in Europa I. Halecania gen. nov. Herzogia 7(3-4): 381-406.
[Spisok...] Список лихенофлоры России. 2010. СПб.: 194 с.
Урбанавичене И. Н., Урбанавичюс Г. П. 2019. К лихенофлоре Северо-Осетинского заповедника (Северная Осетия — Алания). I. Кластер «Шуби». Новости систематики низших растений 53(2): 349-368. https://doi.org/10.31111/nsnr/2019.53.2.349
van den Boom P. P. G. 2009. New Halecania species (Catillariaceae) from Europe and South America. The Bryologist 112(4): 827-832. https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745-112.4.827
van den Boom P. P. G., Elix J. A. 2005. Notes on Halecania species, with descriptions of two new species from Asia. The Lichenologist 37(3): 237-246. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282905014787
van den Boom P. P. G., Etayo J. 2001. Two new sorediate species of lichens in the Catillariaceae from the Iberian Peninsula. The Lichenologist 33(2): 103-110. https://doi.org/10.1006/lich.2001.0307
van den Boom P. P. G., Sipman H. J. M., Divakar P. K., Ertz D. 2017. New or interesting records of lichens and lichenicolous fungi from Panama, with descriptions of ten new species. Sydowia 69: 47-72.
Wijayawardene N. N., Hyde K. D., Al-Ani L. K. T., Tedersoo L., Haelewaters D., Rajeshkumar K. C., Zhao R. L., Aptroot A., Leontyev D. V., Saxena R. K. et al. 2020. Outline of fungi and fungus-like taxa. Mycosphere 11(1): 1060-1456. https://doi.org/10.5943/mycosphere/11/1/8
