Cetrelia chicitae, (W. L. Culb.) W. L. Culb. & C. F. Culb.

Farkas, Edit, Biró, Bernadett, Varga, Nóra, Sinigla, Mónika & Lőkös, László, 2021, Analysis of lichen secondary chemistry doubled the number of Cetrelia W. L. Culb. & C. F. Culb. species (Parmeliaceae, lichenised Ascomycota) in Hungary, Cryptogamie, Mycologie 20 (1), pp. 1-16 : 5-6

C. chicitae (W.L. Culb.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb.

( Figs 1A ; 2 ; 3 ; 5B ; 8 ; 12 )

It is easy to recognise by a here revised characteristic composition of LSMs detected by HPTLC and TLC: atranorin, 4-O-methylphysodic acid, α- collatolic acid,β- collatolic acid, physodic acid, α- alectoronic acid, β- alectoronic acid. Since this species was described from the United States (West Virginia, Pocahontas Co., Gaudiner Knob, Hale, Lich. Amer. Exs. 56 – holotype-DUKE) and has not been confirmed from Europe by Mark et al. (2018), special attention was paid to its identification. All specimens available in BP and VBI were studied by TLC and HPTLC ( Fig. 2 ). In addition to the previously studied compounds (cf. Culberson & Culberson 1968; Obermayer & Mayrhofer 2007), the identification of α- collatolic acid, β- collatolic acid, α- alectoronic acid and β- alectoronic acid (i.e., β- collatolic acid and β- alectoronic acid as newly identified susbstances of the above list) was possible by using an anisaldehyde/sulphuric acid spray on regular TLC plates ( Fig. 3 ). Based on the seven substances above it was found that specimens from Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Italy had the same pattern of substances as the three specimens from the United States, containing one from Pocahontas County (BP 91365), collected very near the type locality. Most of these specimens contained one or two additional unidentified minor substances, observable only under UV 366 prior to sulphuric acid treatment in position below atranorin and above 4-O-methylphysodic acid. The specimen collected near the type locality (BP 91365) contained both of these substances and a third one. This third unidentified component had the same travelling distance on the plate as that of 4-O-methylphysodic acid. One of the two Hungarian specimens (BP 49905) contained the upper unknown, the other (BP 71276) the lower one. The Polish sample (BP 21508) and one of the Ukrainian samples (BP 21504) contained both of these unknowns. Furthermore, the Italian (VBI 1742) and a part of a Ukrainian specimen (BP 22781) was lacking atranorin. The occurrence of abovementioned unknown substances within specimens might be explained by the possibly non-monophyletic origin of C. chicitae suggested by Mark et al. (2018). It needs further studies, since the specimens from Virginia ( United States) (BP 91365, BP 93416 and BP 75822) are not homogeneous either in the presence of these unknown substances.

Apart from the chemical composition, the somewhat twisted, wavy soralia are also characteristic features.Its soredia are coarse, 46.1 ± 7.3 µm in diam. (cf. (35-)40-55 µm in Obermayer & Mayrhofer 2007). Pseudocyphellae are large (150-500 µm), not raised on upper cortex, lacking from lower cortex.

Both Hungarian specimens of C. chicitae were found on beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) at 450-600 m a.s.l., one from the Bükk [BP 71276 sub Parmelia cetrarioides var. typica ] and the other in the Zemplén Mts [BP 49905 sub Parmelia cetrarioides ] (as P. cetrarioides ) ( Fig. 8 ).This is the rarest Cetrelia species in Hungary. As it has not been collected since 1961, Cetrelia chicitae is here proposed as critically endangered (CR(PE)) lichen species in Hungary.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Differential morphological and chemical features in Cetrelia W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb. species: A, large, not raised pseudocyphellae on upper cortex of C. chicitae (W.L. Culb.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb.; B, small, raised pseudocyphellae on upper cortex of C. monachorum (Zahlbr.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb.; C, brown lower cortex of C. cetrarioides (Delise) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb. without rhizines; D, C+ reaction by NaOCl on marginal soralia of Cetrelia olivetorum (Nyl.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb. Scale bars: 500 µm.

FIG. 2. — A detail of the chromatographic plate HPTLC nr 74/2014 developed in solvent system C presenting all species under UV 254 nm (A), and sprayed with water (B). Specimens in positions A10-A17 are A10: C. olivetorum (Nyl.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb. (BP 21529), A11: C. monachorum (Zahlbr.) W.L. Culb.& C.F. Culb. (BP 85318),A12: C. olivetorum (BP 84893), A13: C. cetrarioides (Delise) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb. (BP 21538),A14: C. olivetorum (BP 22787), A15: C. monachorum (BP 45013), A16: C. olivetorum (BP 21508), A17: C. chicitae (W.L. Culb.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb. (BP 93416). Abbreviations of LSMs are according to Table 2.

FIG. 3. — A detail of the chromatographic plate TLC nr 1903 developed in solvent system C presenting C. chicitae (W.L. Culb.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb. specimens under UV 254 nm (A), UV 366 nm (B) and sprayed with anisaldehyde/sulphuric acid (C). Specimens in positions 3-9 are: 3, from Page County, Virginia, United States (BP 75822); 4, from the Bükk Mts, Hungary (BP 71276); 5, from the Zemplén Mts, Hungary (BP 49905); 6, from Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States (BP 91365); 7, from Ukraine (BP 44999); 8, from Romania (BP 85320); 9, from Poland (BP 21508). Abbreviations of LSMs are according to Table 2.

FIG. 5. — Thalline lobes with marginal soralia of A, Cetrelia cetrarioides (Delise) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb.; B, C. chicitae (W.L. Culb.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb.; C, C. monachorum (Zahlbr.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb.; and D, C. olivetorum (Nyl.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIG. 8. — Distribution of Cetrelia chicitae(W.L.Culb.) W.L.Culb.& C.F.Culb.in Hungary.

FIG. 12. — Altitudinal distribution of Cetrelia W.L.Culb.& C.F.Culb.species in Hungary.