(lichenised Ascomycota) from central European Russia

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Herzogia 28 (2) Teil 2, 2015: 746 –752

New and noteworthy records of Verrucariaceae (lichenised Ascomycota) from central European Russia Eugenia E. Muchnik & Othmar Breuss

Abstract: Muchnik, E. & Breuss, O. 2015. New and noteworthy records of Verrucariaceae (lichenised Ascomycota) from central European Russia. – Herzogia 28: 746 –752. Eight lichen taxa are treated, of which three (Placidium fingens, Verrucaria bisagnoensis, V. triglavensis) are recorded for the first time from Russia, and one (Verrucaria kondaensis) is new for European Russia. Short notes on their characters and distributions are provided. Zusammenfassung: Muchnik, E. & Breuss, O. 2015. Neue und bemerkenswerte Funde von Verrucariaceen aus dem zentralen europäischen Russland. – Herzogia 28: 746 –752. Von den acht behandelten Flechtenarten werden drei (Placidium fingens, Verrucaria bisagnoensis, V. triglavensis) erstmals aus Russland nachgewiesen; eine Art (Verrucaria kondaensis) ist neu für den europäischen Teil Russlands. Auf ihre kennzeichnenden Merkmale und ihre Verbreitung wird kurz eingegangen. Key words: Lichenised Ascomycota, Verrucariaceae, Endocarpon, Placidium, Verrucaria, biodiversity.

Introduction Central European Russia includes 28 constituent entities within the Federation (23 regions, four republics and a city, Moscow). The territory, covering an area larger than 1,000,000 km2, is very diverse with various forest formations (e.g. broadleaved, coniferous-broadleaved and taiga forests), forest-steppe and steppe. Among the vegetation zones the rocky steppe is the most important habitat for species of Verrucariaceae. Steppes, widespread throughout the Lipetsk, Orel, Ryazan and Voronezh regions, are characterized by limestone or sandstone (baserich siliceous) outcrops. Earlier work by the first author (Muchnik 2005) pointed out high quotients of similarity of the lichen biota of the central European Russia rocky steppes with the lichen biota of the Swedish alvars (Fröberg 1989) on the one side, and with the Ukrainian Black Sea steppes (Khodosovtsev 1999) on the other. This was considered to be a validation of conclusions (Sedelnikova & Laschinsky 1990) that in earlier geological times calciphilous species could easily migrate over large distances, facilitating species exchange between European and Arctic mountain systems.

Material and Methods Lichenological studies have been carried out within the period 2004–2014 by the first author in several regions in central European Russia (Lipetsk, Ryazan, Voronezh and Orel regions).

Muchnik & Breuss: New and noteworthy records of Verrucariaceae from central European Russia

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The study area was described in detail in Muchnik & Śliwa (2011, 2013) and Muchnik & Konoreva (2012). Lichens were identified using routine microscopic and laboratory techniques. Reference material was studied at G, H, KRAM, LE and PRM. Habit photographs were taken using an Olympus camera in Graz. Cited specimens are deposited at LI (herbarium of Oberöster reichisches Landesmuseum, Linz, Austria).

The Species Records new to Russia Placidium fingens (Breuss) Breuss Specimen examined: Voronezh region, Kalacheevsky district, near the village Novaya Melovatka, 50°26′41″N, 40°47′12″E, steppe, on calcareous soil, 25.06.2013, N. N. Popova & E. E. Muchnik (LI).

Placidium fingens is very similar to the cosmopolitan and common P. squamulosum (Ach.) Breuss from which it differs in having bacilliform conidia (Breuss 2010). It is a rare species, known only from a few records in the Canary Islands, the mainland of Spain, Argentina and southwestern USA (Breuss 1990, 2002, Seaward & Arvidsson 1997), where it grows on calcareous soil (rarely on bark) in open places.

A

B

C

D

Fig. 1: Verrucaria bisagnoensis. A – habit of central part of thallus with fleck-like areoles and perithecia; B – detail showing sectioned perithecia; C – margins of thallus; D – detail of perithecia (Muchnik s.n., 08.06.13, LI). Scales: A, C – 500 µm, B – 200 µm, D – 100 µm.

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Verrucaria bisagnoensis Servít

(Fig. 1)

Specimen examined: Orel region, Novosilsky district, near the village Odinok, 53°04′14″N, 36°53′43″E, bank of the Zusha river, steppe slope with outcrops of limestone, on limestone, 09.06.2013, E. E. Muchnik (LI).

Thallus saxicolous, of dispersed to dense granules or fleck-like areoles, which are convex or flat, often in tiny depressions of the rock, brown, soft and jelly-like when wet, partly coalescing to form an uneven crust. Perithecia in shallow pits of the rock, hemispherically protruding; involucrellum hemispherical, appressed to the exciple, reaching down to exciple-base level, 70–90 μm thick, with a rough outer surface. Exciple brown, subglobose, 0.15–0.20 mm in diameter. Periphyses 2–2.5 μm thick, 25–35 μm long. Asci clavate, 70–80 × 18–27 μm, 8-spored. Ascospores ellipsoidal, simple, 18–26 × 13–15.5 μm. With its thallus composed of tiny fleck-like units which are soft and jelly-like when wet, Verrucaria bisagnoensis is a member of the V. fusca group. It has not been recorded since its description from Italy (Servít 1949). The original collection is from sandstone. Recently, a sample was found on limestone in the Julian Alps in Slovenia (04.07.2003, H. Mayrhofer 20401, GZU, hitherto unpublished). The Russian sample is also from limestone. Verrucaria triglavensis Servít

(Fig. 2)

Specimen examined: Ryazan’ region, Miloslavsky distr., near the village Pryamoglyadovo, 53°34′60″N, 39°00′01″E, Wildlife Reserve “Miloclavskaya forest-steppe”, steppe slope with limestone outcrops, on limestone, 05.05.2010, L. F. Volosnova & E. E. Muchnik (LI).

Verrucaria triglavensis was tentatively placed in synonymy with V. fusca by Breuss & Berger (2010). The main difference between the taxa is the larger length of the ascospores of Verrucaria triglavensis.

Fig. 2: Verrucaria triglavensis. Thallus with perithecia (Muchnik s.n., 05.05.10, LI). Scale bar: 500 µm.


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The magnitudinal ranges of the spores overlap considerably so that specimens with medium-sized spores cannot be assigned to one of the two taxa satisfactorily, but to synonymize both taxa would result in a range of spore sizes (16–30 × 7–14 μm) which is considered too wide for a single species (Pykälä 2013). Molecular methods are required to clarify the taxonomic status. On account of spores measuring 24–27 × 10–12 μm the Russian specimen is attributed to Verrucaria triglavensis. This species was originally described from Slovenia (Servít 1948) and recently reported from Montenegro (Bilovitz et al. 2008), Austria (Breuss & Berger 2010), and Finland (Pykälä 2013).

Record new to European Russia Verrucaria kondaensis Vain.

(Fig. 3)

Specimen examined: Orel region, Zalegoschensky district, near the village Krasnoye, 52°49′29″N, 36° 44′03″E, right bank of the river Neruch’, steppe slope with limestone outcrops, on old dry wood, 08.06.2013, E. E. Muchnik (LI).

This species is recognized by a thick greyish-brown thallus with (semi)immersed perithecia lacking an involucrellum, dark exciple and ascospores measuring 18–26 × 10–13 μm (Lendemer & Breuss 2009). Verrucaria kondaensis is one of the few non-saxicolous species of the genus. This is the third record of this species. It was originally described from lignum in western Siberia (Vainio 1928) and only recently reported from a decorticated log in Montana, U.S.A. (McCune et al. 2014).

Records new to central European Russia Endocarpon adscendens (Anzi) Müll.Arg. Specimens examined: Lipetsk region, Zadonsky district, 52°33′01″N, 38°50′51″E, Nature Monument “Nizovya reki Chichyory”, steppe slope with outcrops of limestone, on limestone, 01.07.2012, E. E. Muchnik (LI); Voronezh

Fig. 3: Verrucaria kondaensis. Thallus with perithecia (Muchnik s.n., 08.06.13, LI). Scale bar: 500 µm.

750 Herzogia 28 (2) Teil 2, 2015 region, Kalacheevsky district, near the village Novaya Melovatka, 52°39′20″N, 38°59′25″E, steppe, on calcareous soil, 30.06.2012, N. N. Popova & E. E. Muchnik (LI).

Endocarpon adscendens is characterized by more or less ascending squamules which are anchored by holdfasts or decaying parts of the thallus (not by rhizines as in the very similar E. adsurgens). The lower surface is black with a pale marginal zone. The squamules are usually aggregated to form a compact cushion with radiating marginal lobes. The species grows on soil and decaying mosses over calcareous rocks. It is widely distributed in Eurasia but rare. Urbanavichus & Andreev (2010) reported it from northern European Russia, the northern Urals, the Caucasus and the Asian part of Russia. Verrucaria endocarpoides Servít Specimen examined: Ryazan’ region, Ryazhsky district, near Ryazhsk, 53°40′15″N, 40°08′14″E, steppe slope with outcrops of sandstone, on sandstone, 29.05.2011, E. E. Muchnik (LI).

Among the many species with brown, areolate, thickly epilithic thalli, Verrucaria endocarpoides is characterized by immersed perithecia, medium-sized ascospores, and short, stout periphyses. Detailed descriptions are provided by Breuss (2002) and Breuss & Berger (2010). The species is known from Europe and North America and grows on calcareous rocks. Urbanavichus & Ismailov (2013) reported it from the northeastern Caucasus. Verrucaria invenusta H.Magn.

(Fig. 4)

Specimen examined: Orel region, Mtsensky district, near the village Aleshnya, 53°08′15″N, 36°40′02″E, steppe slope with outcrops of limestone, on limestone, 02.06.2013, E. E. Muchnik (LI).

The Russian specimen is described as follows: thallus epilithic, thin, brown, soft and jelly-like when wet, patchy discontinuous to almost continuous, uneven. Perithecia hemispherically prominent, with

Fig. 4: Verrucaria invenusta. Thallus with perithecia (Muchnik s.n., 02.06.13, LI). Scale bar: 500 µm.


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a thalline cover up to the apex. Exciple colourless to brownish, subglobose, 0.25–0.30 mm broad. Involucrellum 40–60 μm thick, covering upper half to two-thirds of the exciple (rarely reaching almost to the base of the perithecium). Periphyses 25–30 μm long, ca. 2 μm thick. Asci clavate, 60–70 × 19–25 μm, 8-spored. Ascospores ellipsoidal, simple, 17–22 × 9–11 μm. Within the Verrucaria fusca group, V. invenusta is characterized by having a thalline cover over the perithecia and medium-sized ascospores. This is the fourth record of this species. Previously Verrucaria invenusta was known only from Sweden, Finland, and northwestern European Russia (Pykälä & Breuss 2009, Pykälä et al. 2012). It was collected from calcareous and schistose rocks. Verrucaria onegensis Vain. Specimen examined: Orel region, Orlovsky district, near the village Golokhvastovo, 52°46′51″N, 36°07′09″E, old limestone pit, on limestone, with Caloplaca crenulatella (Nyl.) H.Oliv., Candelariella aurella (Hoffm.) Zahlbr. and Lecanora semipallida H.Magn., 03.06.2013, E. E. Muchnik (LI).

Verrucaria onegensis has a thick epilithic thallus with perithecia originating within the medulla (not within the algal layer as in the majority of Verrucaria species) and large ascospores. A detailed description of this species is available in Breuss (2007). V. onegensis is known from Karelia (Vainio 1921, Fadeeva et al. 2007), western Siberia (Koneva 2007), southwestern North America (Breuss 2007), Austria (Breuss & Berger 2010), and Switzerland (Vust et al. 2015). It grows on limestone.

Acknowledgements We are grateful to our colleagues Natalya N. Popova (Voronezh) and Lyudmila F. Volosnova (Ryazan) for assistance in the field. Special thanks belong also to Toby Spribille, who kindly helped us with photos for the article. This work was supported by the Russian Academy of Science Fundamental Research Program “Wildlife: Current Status and Problems of Development”, and by the grant NSh-1858.2014.4 from the President of the Russian Federation for state support of leading Russian science schools. Two anonymous reviewers are thanked for helpful comments on the manuscript.

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Manuscript accepted: 18 October 2015. Communicated by: Toby Spribille

Addresses of the authors Eugenia E. Muchnik, Institute of Forest Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Uspenskoe, Odyntsovsky distr., Moscow region 143030, Russia. E-mail: [email protected] Othmar Breuss, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Botanische Abteilung (Kryptogamie), Burgring 7, 1010 Wien, Österreich. E-mail: [email protected]