Tortella fasciculata (Culm.) Culm.

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

Tortella fasciculata (Culm.) Culm.

SPECIMEN EXAMINED. — Croatia. Mt Papuk, Mt Pliš, at Velika village, 45°28’15.4’’N, 17°38’31.7’’E, 485 m a.s.l., 07.V.2011, leg. and det. B. Papp, A. Alegro & V. Šegota s.n., BP(BP182524), ZA(ZA45487, ZA45488); Plitvice Lakes National Park, Čorkova uvala forest reserve, shaded limestone rock, 44°54’56.8” N, 15°29’57.9” E, 950 m a.s.l., 23.VII.2013, leg. and det. B. Papp s.n., BP(BP188161); Ibidem, near Lake Okrugljak, 44°52’24,0’’N, 15°35’55,6’’E, 635 m a.s.l., 27.IX.2016, leg. and det. B. Papp, A. Alegro & V. Šegota s.n., BP(BP191538).

On the Mt Papuk the species was found on limestone rocks along the road, together with Barbula convoluta Hedw. , B. unguiculata Hedw., Brachytecium glaerosum (Spruce) Schimp., Bryoerythrophyllum recurvirostrum (Hedw.) P.C. Chen , Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus (Brid.) R.S. Chopra , Campylophyllum calcareum (Crundw. & Nyholm) Hedenäs , Didymodon acutus (Brid.) K. Saito , D. fallax (Hedw.) R.H. Zander , D. rigidulus Hedw. , D. sinuosus (Mitt.) Delonge , D. vinealis (Brid.) R.H. Zander , Tortella squarrosa (Brid.) Limpr. , Trichostomum crispulum Bruch and Weisia controversa Hedw ..

Both findings within Plitvice Lakes National Park were on shaded limestone rocks; however first one was within Dinaric fir-beech primeval forest in Čorkova uvala, while the second was within thermophilous vegetation near Lake Okrugljak. None of the localities are situated in the Mediterranean part of Croatia. The accompanying species in Čorkova uvala were Alleniella complanata (Hedw.) S. Olsson, Enroth & D. Quandt , Apometzgeria pubescens (Schrank) Kuwah. , Anomodon rostratus (Hedw.) Schimp. , Brachythecium salebrosum , Cirriphyllum crassinervium (Taylor) Loeske & M. Fleisch. , Ctenidium molluscum , Dicranum scoparium , Eurhynchium angustirete (Broth.) T.J. Kop. , Fissidens dubius , Homomallium incurvatum , Hylocomium splendens , Isopterygiopsis pulchella (Hedw.) Z. Iwats. , Mnium stellare Hedw. , Rhytidiadelphus loreus (Hedw.) Warnst. and R. triquetrus (Hedw.) Warnst .. The accompanying species in Okrugljak were: Barbula crocea , Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus , Ctenidium molluscum , Didymodon ferrugineus (Schimp. ex Besch.) M.O. Hill , Fissidens dubius , Gymnostomum calcareum Nees & Hornsch. , Preissia quadrata (Scop.) Nees. and Pseudoleskeella catenulata (Brid. ex Schrad.) Kindb.

Integrative taxonomical approach using both molecular and morphological data ( Köckinger & Hedenäs 2017), showed that in the last decades the name Tortella bambergeri auct . has been assigned to two independent species: Tortella fasciculata and T. pseudofragilis (Thér.) Köckinger et Hedenäs. Meanwhile , T. bambergeri (Schimp.) Broth. is conspecific with T. tortuosa s.l. Therefore, we reviewed the collections from Croatia identified as T. bambergeri recently recorded ( Papp et al. 2013a, b, c). We concluded that specimens from Mt Papuk and Plitvice Lakes belong to T. fasciculata . All these specimens had a central stem strand and the nerve in the upper part of the leaves covered by isodiametric laminal cells. According to Köckinger & Hedenäs (2017), T. fasciculata is a distinctly thermophilous moss that can be characterised as a Suboceanic-sub-mediterranean floristic element; it has been recognised in Central, Northern and Western Europe so far. While in Central Europe and Sweden it usually occurs on warm and south-facing places, in Western Europe and the mountainous parts of the Mediterranean it comes on generally moister and more shaded habitats; the species inhabits calcareous rocks, but it can also be found on base-rich siliceous rocks, and usually ascends up to 1200 m. This is the first record in SE Europe.