Sagedia mastrucata (Wahlenb.) A. Nordin, Savić & Tibell Mycologia

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 : 140

Sagedia mastrucata (Wahlenb.) A. Nordin, Savić & Tibell Mycologia 102: 1346. 2010.

≡ Lichen mastrucatus Wahlenb., Fl. Lapp.: 413. 1812. ≡ Lecanora mastrucata (Wahlenb.) Ach., Syn. Meth. Lich. (Lund) : 148. 1814. ≡ Aspicilia mastrucata (Wahlenb.) Th. Fr. , Nova Acta Regiae Soc. Sci. Upsal., ser. 3, vol. 3: 234. 1928.

( Fig. 1E )

Thallus lichenized, crustose, thin to thick, developing as small patches between other lichens, areolate, pale to dark grey, sometimes with greenish tint, matt. Areoles flat to convex, irregular, 0.25–2.0 mm in diam. Prothallus usually indistinct, pale-grey and shiny. Soralia on the surface of the areoles, irregular to rounded, flat to convex, 0.3–1.0 mm in diam., confluent in older parts of the thallus. Soredia greyish-black to greyish-green, usually darker than the thallus. Apothecia and pycnidia not seen in the analysed material.

Chemistry: Norstictic acid, sometimes additionally with stictic acids were detected in the Polish specimens, which is consistent with data from the literature ( Wirth et al. 2013).

Ecology and distribution: Sagedia mastrucata is not a very common species. It has been reported mainly from Europe, including Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, but also outside of Europe, from Turkey ( Vitikainen et al. 1997; Llimona & Hladun 2001; Owe-Larsson et al. 2007; Roux 2012; Wirth et al. 2013; Nimis et al. 2018; Urbanavichus et al. 2020; Westberg et al. 2021; Nimis & Martellos 2022). Here, it is recorded from Poland for the first time, exclusively from the south-west part of the country, where it was found growing on basalt rocks in low mountain areas, under open, well-lit and usually warm and dry habitat conditions.

Notes: Sagedia mastrucata belongs to a poorly know complex of soredioid and usually sterile species that also includes S. simoensis (Räsänen) A. Nordin, Savić & Tibell and Aspicilia grisea Arnold. The characteristic features of these taxa are the vegetative structures that develop on the thallus surface, which are variously named in the literature as soralia, isidia, upwards, warted areoles, papilles, isidia-like papilles or papillate isidia ( Nowak & Tobolewski 1975; Dietrich et al. 2005; Fletcher et al. 2009; Nordin et al. 2010; Wirth et al. 2013). The morphological differences between these species are not clear. Usually, it has been assumed that the main features of S. mastrucata and S. simoensis are the thick thallus and numerous, grouped isidia or papilles resembling isidia, which may develop soredia on their tops. Aspicilia grisea has been described as having a very thin, dark thallus and pale, circular soralia ( Fletcher et al. 2009). The morphology of the Polish specimens partly fits the description of A. grisea , although, based on the BLAST search and data provided in Urbanavichus et al. (2020), all the specimens have been classified as S. mastrucata . It is clear that the taxonomy of this group of species require further study.

The nucITS rDNA marker was sequenced from seven specimens ( Table 1 ) and showed ca. 99% identity with the sequences MK778583 and OP730575 of Sagedia aff. mastrucata deposited in GenBank ( Table 2 ), both originating from the Czech Republic ( Table 2 , data for S. mastrucata ). Other sequences labelled as S. mastrucata and deposited in GenBank were less similar to the newly generated sequences (ca. 95% of identity).

Material examined: POLAND. Dolnośląskie province: Izerskie Foothills, Słupiec rock close to Giebułtów village , elev. 746 m, on basalt rock in the meadow, 22 June 2013, K. Szczepańska 978, 1099 (Hb. Szczepańska); Izerskie Foothills, Czubatka Hill near Platerówka village , elev. 357 m, on basalt rock, 16 March 2016, K. Szczepańska 1106 (Hb. Szczepańska); Sudety Mts , Izerskie Mts , Odarte Skały rocks, northern slope of Urwista Mt, near Rebiszów village , in the closed basalt quarry, elev. 540 m, on basalt rock, 25 April 2016, K. Szczepańska 1095, 1186 (Hb. Szczepańska); Sudety Mts , Złote Mts , Czarne Urwisko rock near Ułęże village , in the closed basalt quarry, 9 May 2016, K. Szczepańska 1116 (Hb. Szczepańska); Sudety Mts , Opawskie Mts , Karolinki rocks near Jarnołtówek village , elev. 400 m, on a natural outcrop of siliceous rocks in an oak grove, 18 February 2020, K. Szczepańska 1319 (Hb. Szczepańska).

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.