Didymodon tophaceus subsp. sicculus (M.J. Cano, Ros, García-Zam. & J. Guerra) Jan Kučera

Alegro, Antun, Šegota, Vedran, Rimac, Anja, Kiebacher, Thomas, Prlić, Dragan, Sedlar, Zorana, Vuković, Nina & Papp, Beata, 2019, New and noteworthy bryophyte records from Croatia, Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (2), pp. 5-13 : 9

Didymodon tophaceus subsp. sicculus (M.J. Cano, Ros, García-Zam. & J. Guerra) Jan Kučera

SPECIMEN EXAMINED. — Croatia. Island of Rab, Ciganka Bay at Lopar, sandstone and loess dunes, 44°50’51.5”N, 14°43’33.5”E, 18 m a.s.l., 15.VIII.2015, leg. and det. B. Papp, A. Alegro & V. Šegota s.n., conf. J. Kučera, BP(BP190818).

It was found on bare, sandy soil, along paths going through the Erica arborea L. dominated macchia, situated in the very north-east of the island of Rab, belonging to the Mediterranean part of Croatia and where sandstone and loess are present along the highly indented coastline. These habitats are extremely rare on the dominantly rocky limestone eastern Adriatic coast. The specimen was growing with Barbula unguiculata , Dicranella howei Renauld & Cardot , Funaria hygrometrica Hedw. and Tortella flavovirens (Bruch) Broth. Didymodon tophaceus subsp. sicculus is a Mediterranean-subcontinental element (Dierβen 2001) known mostly from circum-Mediterranean countries and several outlying populations ( Kučera et al. 2018). This is the second known locality of this rare taxon in Croatia, where it was discovered on salty pastures in the easternmost parts of the country (village of Trpinja) ( Papp et al. 2016). The taxon was recorded in other several Balkan countries: Greece ( Blockeel et al. 2002) Montenegro ( Cvetić & Sabovljević 2004), Slovenia ( Blockeel et al. 2009), Bulgaria and Serbia ( Papp et al. 2012) and Albania ( Marka et al. 2013). It is known also from neighbouring Italy ( Aleffi et al. 2003, 2008). Currently, both known Croatian populations are threatened by agriculture and tourism, in the continental and Adriatic parts of the country respectively.