Sclerococcum sphaerale (Acharius) Fries (1821: 179)

Zhurbenko, Mikhail P., 2021, Arthonia buelliae sp. nov. (Arthoniaceae, Arthoniales, Ascomycota) and other noteworthy lichenicolous fungi from the Primorye Territory of Russia, Phytotaxa 483 (2), pp. 183-189 : 188

Sclerococcum sphaerale (Acharius) Fries (1821: 179)

Notes:—This species is known from numerous reports from Europe, and also from Greenland, Madeira, and Asia ( India, Turkey) (Fries 1821, Brackel 2014, Yazici & Etayo 2014, Joshi et al. 2016). It was previously reported in Russia from Novaya Zemlya, growing on Solorina bispora and Lecanora rupicola (as “ Lecanora glaucoma ”) ( Keissler 1928), and from the Northern Ural, growing on coarse woody debris ( Sedelnikova 2010). Both reports are almost certainly based on misidentifications as the species is confined to the saxicolous species of Lepra and Pertusaria s. lat.; accordingly this is the first reliable record for Russia.

Specimen examined:— RUSSIA. Primorye Territory : Bay of Peter the Great of the Sea of Japan, Rikord Island, elev. 10 m, 42°52’06.4”N, 131°39’34.5”E, open coastal siliceous rocks, on saxicolous Pertusaria sp. (thallus, including ascomatal warts), 15 September 2013, M.P. Zhurbenko 13177 ( LE 310171!) .