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The identity of two lichens described by V. P. Savicz from Kamchatka (Russia)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2014

Martin KUKWA ,
Irina S. STEPANCHIKOVA ,
Dmitry E. HIMELBRANT  and
Ekaterina S. KUZNETSOVA
Martin KUKWA
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, PL-80-308 Gdańsk, Poland. Email: dokmak@ug.edu.pl
Irina S. STEPANCHIKOVA
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya emb. 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg; Laboratory of Lichenology and Bryology, Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, Professor Popov St. 2, 197376 St. Petersburg, Russia
Dmitry E. HIMELBRANT
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya emb. 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg; Laboratory of Lichenology and Bryology, Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, Professor Popov St. 2, 197376 St. Petersburg, Russia
Ekaterina S. KUZNETSOVA
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya emb. 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg; Laboratory of Lichenology and Bryology, Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, Professor Popov St. 2, 197376 St. Petersburg, Russia
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Type
Short Communications
Information
The Lichenologist , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , January 2014 , pp. 129 - 131
Copyright
Copyright © British Lichen Society 2014 

Ochrolechia A. Massal. (Ochrolechiaceae, Pertusariales) comprises species with crustose thalli and rather large apothecia (sometimes reaching 1 cm diam.), with often wide, rarely pore-like discs, a strongly amyloid hymenium including asci, a hamathecium of thin, branched and anastomosing paraphyses, asci without recognizable apical structures and simple, thin-walled ascospores (e.g., Brodo Reference Brodo1988, Reference Brodo1991; Schmitz et al. Reference Schmitz, Lumbsch and Feige1994; Schmitt & Lumbsch Reference Schmitt and Lumbsch2004; Kukwa Reference Kukwa2011). The genus was revised for several regions of the world, and the use of a number of names was clarified (e.g., Brodo Reference Brodo1991; Schmitz et al. Reference Schmitz, Lumbsch and Feige1994; Boqueras et al. Reference Boqueras, Barbero and Llimona1999; Messuti & Lumbsch Reference Messuti and Lumbsch2000; Kukwa Reference Kukwa2011); however, some still remain unsettled.

During a study of the lichen diversity of Kamchatka (Russia), we revised some historical collections, including the type specimens of Ochrolechia upsaliensis var. kamczatica Savicz [syn. O. kamczatica (Savicz) Trass] and Variolaria kamczatica Savicz [syn. Pertusaria kamczatica (Savicz) Zahlbr.] (Savicz Reference Savicz1914, Reference Savicz1922). Since their descriptions both names were rather rarely in use and remained obscure. In this paper we provide some nomenclatural and taxonomic notes on their identity, and typify both names.

The type specimens studied of Ochrolechia upsaliensis var. kamczatica and Variolaria kamczatica are deposited in LE, with duplicates in H and W. The original labels written in Russian were translated into English. Comparative material was investigated from BP and UPS. Lichen substances were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography in solvent systems A, B, C and G (Orange et al. Reference Orange, James and White2001).

The revision of type material of Variolaria kamczatica and Ochrolechia upsaliensis var. kamczatica revealed the former to be conspecific with O. mahluensis and the latter to be synonymous with O. szatalaensis.

Ochrolechia mahluensis Räsänen

Ann. Bot. Soc. Zool.-Bot. Fenn. ‘Vanamo' 21: 1 (1947).—Ochrolechia androgyna var. mahluensis (Räsänen) Räsänen, Lichenoth. Fenn. No. 175 (Reference Räsänen1947); type: [Finland] Tb [Tavastia borealis], Saarijärvi (Mahlu), Pappilanniemi, ad basin Pini silvestri in ripa, 19 17/X 44, leg. Arvo Koskinen (H!—lectotype, selected by Hanko et al. Reference Hanko, Leuckert and Ahti1986: 174; isolectotypes—H!, BP 19960!, UPS L-99714!). For more synonyms see Kukwa (Reference Kukwa2011).

Variolaria kamczatica Savicz, Bot. Mater. Inst. Sporov. Rast. Glavn. Bot. Sada RSFSR 1(1): 13 (Reference Savicz1922).—Pertusaria kamczatica (Savicz) Zahlbr., Cat. Lich. Univers. 5: 159 (1927 ‘1928'); type: [Russia, Kamchatka], Mezhennaya mountain near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, on bark of Betula ermanii, 1908, V. P. Savicz coll. 301 (LE L-543!—lectotype, selected here; H!, W!—isolectotypes).

Ochrolechia androgyna A sensu Tønsberg (Reference Tønsberg1992) (see Kukwa Reference Kukwa2011).

Ochrolechia mahluensis is characterized by a corticolous or lignicolous habitat, usually thin thallus which can become thicker and areolate in some specimens, often regular soralia and the production of gyrophoric and lecanoric acids (often together with unidentified pigments) as main secondary metabolites. It is often sterile, but when fertile the apothecia usually have a well-developed excipulum proprium (Kukwa Reference Kukwa2011). The lectotype of Variolaria kamczatica is a sterile, corticolous lichen with a rather thin thallus developing convex, separated areoles and containing gyrophoric and lecanoric acids. It falls well within the variation range of O. mahluensis, and therefore the names are considered synonymous.

Savicz (Reference Savicz1922) noted that the species was common in the forests in Kamchatka on bark of birches, willows and alders; however, he did not specify any exact locality. We found five collections (Savicz 301, 345, 366, 2025, 5751) annotated as V. kamczatica, all collected in 1908 by V. P. Savicz and deposited in LE (duplicates are also in other herbaria). Four of them represent O. mahluensis (Savicz 301, 345, 2025, 5751). The largest one, which consists of few pieces, all very similar in morphology and so apparently representing one individual fragmented when collecting, is selected here as lectotype (Savicz 301). One collection (Savicz 366; LE L-544; W) contains an unknown substance similar to variolaric acid and probably belongs to a different, as yet unidentified, species.

Variolaria kamczatica (Savicz Reference Savicz1922) predates O. mahluensis (Räsänen Reference Räsänen1947). However, a new combination based on V. kamczatica is not available for use in the genus Ochrolechia because of the existence of O. kamczatica (Savicz) Trass (Trass Reference Trass and Parmasto1963). Ochrolechia mahluensis must therefore be retained as the valid name for this lichen, with V. kamczatica becoming a synonym.

Additional specimens examined (remaining syntypes). Russia: Kamchatka: vicinity of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Nikol'skaya mountain, 1908, V. P. Savicz 348 (LE L-540); 4 km E of Sokotch, Nachika settlement, bank of the Uzdetsa River, 1908, V. P. Savicz 5751 (LE L-541); slope of ‘Marine Ridge’ extended from Tar'ya Bay to the Gulf of Avacha, 1908, V. P. Savicz 2025 (LE L-542).

Ochrolechia szatalaensis Verseghy

Ann. Hist.-Nat. Mus. Nat. Hung. 50: 80 (Reference Verseghy1958); type: [Bulgaria] Cepelarska planina: in monte ‘Karlak dag' pr. Pasmakli, alt. c. 1700–2100 m, supra cort. Pic. exc., 7–8 June 1929, Dr. Ö. Szatala (BP 20057!—lectotype as ‘holotype', selected by Verseghy Reference Verseghy1964: 77; BP 20058!—isolectotype). For more synonyms see Kukwa (Reference Kukwa2011).

Ochrolechia upsaliensis var. kamczatica Savicz, Izv. Imp. Bot. Sada Petra Vel. 14: 123 (Reference Savicz1914).—Ochrolechia kamczatica (Savicz) Trass, Investigationes Naturae Orientis Extremis (Tallin): 186 (Reference Trass and Parmasto1963); type: [Russia, Kamchatka], forest in the Karymshina River valley, vicinity of the confluence of Karymshina and Paratuka rivers, around the trunk of poplar [Populus suaveolens], June 1908, V. P. Savicz coll. 2142 (LE L-10366!—lectotype, selected here; LE L-10367!—isolectotype).

Ochrolechia szatalaensis is characterized by a thin to moderately thick thallus, apothecia with strongly pruinose discs, distinctly expanded and glassy, but opaque cortex at the base of apothecial margin, and the constant production of variolaric acid which is often accompanied by alectoronic acid (but only in European material), unidentified substances ‘microstictoides unknowns', fatty acids (murolic acid complex), and rarely xanthones (Brodo Reference Brodo1991; Messuti & Lumbsch Reference Messuti and Lumbsch2000; Kukwa Reference Kukwa2011). The type material of O. upsaliensis var. kamczatica, which contains variolaric and fatty acids, is identical to the samples of O. szatalaensis known from other regions.

Savicz (Reference Savicz1914) cited four localities in the protologue: “Prope Paratunka, p. Nikolajevskoje, p. Malka et Gonal”. However, material originating from only the two first stands was located in LE. All together three envelopes were found, one from Nikolajevskoje (Savicz 2322) and two with the same number (Savicz 2142) from Paratunka; the larger specimen collected in Paratunka is selected here as the lectotype.

Ochrolechia upsaliensis var. kamczatica is the oldest available name for O. szatalaensis, but at the species level the latter has priority over O. kamczatica, since it is five years older (Verseghy Reference Verseghy1958; Trass Reference Trass and Parmasto1963).

Additional specimen examined (remaining syntype). Russia: Kamchatka: bank of the Bystraya River near the former settlement Nikolajevskoe, 1908, V. P. Savicz 2322 (LE L-10368).

We are very grateful to the curators of LE, H, W, BP and UPS for making the specimens available for study, Ryszard Ochyra (Kraków, Poland) for the discussion on the correct name for Variolaria kamczatica, and Irwin M. Brodo (Ottawa) and Tor Tønsberg (Bergen) for reviewing the manuscript. We also thank Valentin V. Yakubov (Vladivostok, Russia) for help in interpreting geographical names and Ave Suija (Tartu) for information on literature. The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grants 11-04-00901a, 11-04-00027a).

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