Centaurea soskae Hayek ex Kosanin, 1926

Shuka, Lulezim & Tan, Kit, 2013, New records for Albania based on taxa from the Prespa National Park, Biodiversity Data Journal 1, pp. 1014-1014 : 1014

Centaurea soskae Hayek ex Kosanin, 1926

Asteraceae

Centaurea soskae Hayek ex Košanin in Glasnik Srpska Kraljevska Akademija 119 (54):27 (1926). Fig. 5

Centaurea soskae Type:― [F.Y.R. MACEDONIA] supra pagum Trpezica (=Trpejca) ad lacum Ochrida, solo calcareo, Soska (holotype BEOU).

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordNumber: s. n; recordedBy: Palikuqi; Location: country: Albania; verbatimLocality: Dry Mt, above the villages of Korita and Shengjergji, rocky cliffs; verbatimElevation: 1200 m; Event: eventDate: 9 July 1959; Record Level: institutionCode: TIR!

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordNumber: s. n; recordedBy: Vangjeli & Tartari; Location: country: Albania; verbatimLocality: Guri i Shengjergjit (Rock of Shengjergji); verbatimElevation: 900 m; Event: eventDate: 22 June 1971; Record Level: institutionCode: TIR!

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Dieterich & Shuka; Location: country: Albania; verbatimLocality: western slopes of Dry Mt; verbatimElevation: 928-1060 m; verbatimLatitude: 40°46'N; verbatimLongitude: 20°49'E; Event: eventDate: 13 July 2011; Record Level: basisOfRecord: observation

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Shuka; Location: country: Albania; verbatimLocality: Gollomboçi Peninsula, Lake Megali Prespa; verbatimElevation: 855 m; verbatimLatitude: 40°51'N; verbatimLongitude: 20°57'E; Event: eventDate: 13 July 2011; Record Level: basisOfRecord: observation

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordNumber: 5520; recordedBy: Shuka; Location: country: Albania; verbatimLocality: Lake Mikri Prespa; verbatimElevation: 930 m; verbatimLatitude: 40°40'N; verbatimLongitude: 20°59''E; Event: eventDate: 14 July 2011; Record Level: institutionCode: TIR!

Ecology

Phenology

Flowering and fruiting June to July.

Habitat

These localities are at lower altitudes (850-1200 m) and influenced by the Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean climate, and the moderating effects of the Devolli and Drini Rivers. The occurrence on the rocky calcareous cliff faces of lakes Megali and Mikri Prespa extends the distribution range eastwards towards the lakes. Allium flavum subsp. flavum, Campanula versicolor , Fumana procumbens , Iris germanica , Nepeta spruneri , Ptilostemon afer , Salvia officinalis , Satureja montana , Sempervivum ciliosum , as well as the woody species Buxus sempervirens , Fraxinus ornus , Pistacia terebinthus and Prunus webbii were also noted on the cliff faces. Based on habitat and ecology, we believe that Centaurea soskae occurs and should be looked for in the Greek part of the Prespa lakes. ― Confirmed for Albania and new for the Prespa National Park.

Distribution

Previously known only from the type locality near lake Ohrid. However, it has been reported from the western slopes of Dry Mt above Shengjergji village in Albania ( Vangjeli et al. 1995:84).

Taxon discussion

In 2011, Meyer described Centaurea decora ( Meyer 2011:167) as a new species of Centaurea from the rocky slopes above the villages of Shengjergji and Korita (Type:― Pogradec, Südabfall des Mali i Thatë, 800-1000 m, 5 July 1959, F.K. Meyer 3486 (holotype JE, digital specimen image!). We collected plants from the same slopes on 13 July 2011 and compared them with living plants of Centaurea soskae from the locus classicus in F.Y.R. Macedonia, and concluded Centaurea decora is identical to Centaurea soskae . Meyer (2011) did not mention Centaurea soskae in his publication and probably had not seen any material of the latter to realize the two taxa are conspecific.