Oxneriaria supertegens (Arnold) S.Y. Kondr. & Lőkös Acta Bot. Hung.

Szczepańska, Katarzyna, Kukwa, Martin, Guzow-Krzemińska, Beata & Urbaniak, Jacek, 2023, New and rare lichens of the family Megasporaceae discovered in Poland, Phytotaxa 598 (2), pp. 133-144 : 139

Oxneriaria supertegens (Arnold) S.Y. Kondr. & Lőkös Acta Bot. Hung. 59 (3–4): 358. 2017.

≡ Aspicilia supertegens Arnold, Verh. K. K. Zool. - Bot. Ges. Wien 27: 567. 1877. ≡ Lecanora supertegens (Arnold) Zahlbr., Cat. Lich. Univ. 5: 354. 1928.

( Fig. 1D )

Thallus lichenized, crustose, thick, usually circular, smooth to irregularly cracked, creamy-white, yellowish-white to greyish-white, matt. Prothallus not visible. Apothecia immersed, 0.5–1.5 mm in diam., thalline margin concolorous with the thallus, thin to thick, disc rounded to irregular, black, flat and matt, sometimes with white pruina. Hymenium colourless, 120–150 μm tall, with submoniliform paraphyses (3–4 globose apical cells), epihymenium green-brown to olive-brown, N+ green intensifying, K+ yellowish brown (Caesiocinerea-green), hypothecium colourless. Asci 8- spored, ascospores hyaline, simple, ellipsoid, 18–24 × 8–15 μm. Conidia filiform, slightly curved, 14–25 × 1 μm.

Chemistry: No secondary metabolites were detected in the analysed material.

Ecology and distribution: Oxneriaria supertegens is a rare, circumpolar and arctic-alpine species ( Thomson 1984), which has been reported from Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland ( Vitikainen et al. 1997; Llimona & Hladun 2001; Roux 2012; Wirth et al. 2013; Nimis et al. 2018; Westberg et al. 2021; Nimis & Martellos 2022) and from outside Europe from USA and Canada ( Thomson 1984; Esslinger 2016). Here, it is reported for the first time from Poland. Three specimens of this species, stored in the KRAM herbarium, were collected in the Tatry Mts in 1987, but remained unidentified.

Oxneriaria supertegens prefers specific, very moist habitats, especially siliceous boulders close to mountain brooks and rivers that are frequently sprinkled or periodically flooded with fresh water.

Notes: The species most similar to O. supertegens is Aspicilia aquatica (Fr.) Körb. Both taxa occur in similar, humid habitats and have a whitish, smooth to slightly cracked thallus. The main differences between the species are the length of the conidia (shorter in A. aquatica , 12–15 cm) and the size of the ascospores (larger in A. aquatica , 22–27[–35] × 14–20 cm) ( Wirth et al. 2013).

Material examined: POLAND. Małopolskie province: Karpaty Mts, Tatry Zachodnie Mts, upper part of the Jarząbcza Valley , elev. 1360 m, on granite boulders in the bed of the Jarząbczy stream, on surfaces protruding above the water surface, 10 October 1987, J. Nowak (KRAM L-34324); Tatry Zachodnie Mts , upper part of the Jarząbcza Valley , elev. 1310 m, on granite boulders in the bed of the Jarząbczy stream, flooded periodically with water, 10 October 1987, J. Nowak (KRAM L-34348, 34332).

Selected specimens of Aspicilia aquatica examined. POLAND. Małopolskie province: Karpaty Mts, High Tatry Mts, Pańszczyca Valley , Czerwony Stawek pond, elev. ca. 1700 m, on granite rock in water, 8 July 1971, J. Nowak (KRAM L-19885); High Tatry Mts , Rysy Mt. , elev. 2140 m, in water race, on siliceous rock, 8 Aug. 2003, A. Flakus s.n. (KRAM L-48329); High Tatry Mts , Rysy Mt. , elev. 2160 m, 20 July 2004, A. Flakus 2724 (KRAM L).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Specimens treated.A. Aspicilia goettweigensis (Hb. Szczepańska 1093). B. Aspicilia polychroma (Hb. Szczepańska 1022). C. Aspicilia verrucigera (Hb. Szczepańska 1272). D. Oxneriaria supertegens (KRAM L-34348). E. Sagedia mastrucata (Hb. Szczepańska 1186). F. Sagedia zonata (KRAM L-42336). Scales: 2 mm. Fot. K. Szczepańska.