Lecanoropsis subsaligna Ivanovich & Printzen 2025, comb. nov.

Lecanoropsis subsaligna (M. Brand & van den Boom) Ivanovich & Printzen, comb. nov. Fig. 10C & D, 15C. MycoBank nº: 847159 Basionym: Lecanora subsaligna M. Brand & van den Boom, in van den Boom & Brand, Lichenologist 40 (6): 477 (2008). Type:— BELGIUM: Namur, SSW of Beauraing, WSW of Gedinne, 300 m E of Croix Scaille, 500 m alt., 02 May 2000, P. & B. van den Boom 24408 (LG — holotype; not studied). Thallus endosubstratal, rarely episubstratal and effuse, forming irregularly shaped verrucose to granular areoles growing in amorphous patches, whitish to grey with or without a yellow tinge or beige to brown, sometimes with a green hue. Photobiont a chlorococcoid/trebouxoid alga. Apothecia rounded to deformed, single and scattered or forming small, dense patches, (0.35–)0.37–0.51(–0.55) mm in diameter. Apothecial disc flat to weakly convex, commonly pale beige-yellowish or pale greyish-brown, rarely brown, matte, normally epruinose, very rarely finely white pruinose. Apothecial margin when young thick, smooth and raised. On old apothecia thinning and becoming in level with the disc sometimes disappearing in old apothecia, (0.02–)0.03–0.05 (–0.07) mm wide. Whitish to pale yellow or concolorous with thallus (when the thallus is whitish to grey or beige). Amphithecium algal layer constrained to the mid portion of the amphithecium, between the cortex and the subhymenial layers. Amphithecial cortex thin but well developed, more or less even width to the base, gelatinized, (12–)22–40(–53) µm wide laterally, (17–)22–41(–56) µm wide basally, sometimes with brown-golden granules that extend into the algal layer. Parathecium usually absent, when present, weakly developed, 10–35 µm wide, showing yellowish or brown pigmentation at the apical gel sheaths, with golden-brown granules on top. Epihymenium hyaline with a thin epipsamma of golden-brown granules rarely streaking into the hymenium, epipsamma sometimes lacking. Hymenium hyaline, (30–)40–60(–85) µm. Subhymenial layers hyaline, (35–)40–50(–55) µm; hymenium and the subhymenial layers height ratio usually 1:1. Paraphyses simple, sometimes branching, rarely anastomosing, 1.5–2 µm wide, apices not or weakly capitate, 2–4.5 µm wide, gel sheath at apices reaching 5 µm wide, typically hyaline, rarely pigmented golden-brown. Spores ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, simple, hyaline, (7.0–)9.6–10.7(–12.0) × (2.5–)3.7–4.6(–6.0) µm. Conidia: Macroconidia U-shaped with acute tips, 1–3 septate, 20–25 × 2 µm; microconidia thin, straight to weakly curved, 5–10 × 1–2 µm; leptoconidia filamentous, strongly curved, 12–16 × 1–1.5 µm; mesoconidia were not found. Chemistry: Isousnic acid. Substrate: Corticolous or lignicolous, with a strong preference for decorticated wood. Ecology: Open areas by sea level; submontane continental forests, 5–1240 m alt. Distribution: North America, Western and Central Europe. Notes: Lecanoropsis subsaligna is very similar to L. albellula, due to disc coloration and apothecial margin, but several characters can help differentiate one taxon from the other such as conidia and apothecial size (see Notes under L. albellula). The ecological range of L. subsaligna however appears to be more diverse than that of L. albellula, as L. subsaligna has been found on islands at sea level in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic Sea, supporting the statement by van den Boom & Brand (2008) about L. subsaligna being a pioneer species with a wide range of biome preferences. In contrast, recent collections of L. albellula studied by us, were usually from submontane to montane mixed forests above 700 m alt. Selected specimens studied: CZECH REPUBLIC. Liberecký kraj, Jablonec nad Nisou, Jizerské hory Mts, Na Čihadle, 973m alt., 50°49.9467’ N 15°13.9483’ E, 27 September2018, Z.Palice25830 (FR-0279046; PRA), Lecanomics Code: 251; Jihočeský kraj: Prachatice, Šumava Mts, Boubínský prales, mixed with Lecanoropsis albellula, 1240 m alt., 48° 59’ N 15° 13° 49’ E, 06 October 2017, Z. Palice 19576 (FR-0264512; PRA), Lecanomics Code: 246; Karlovy Vary: Ostrov nad Ohří, Krušné hory Mts, Mt. Meluzína, 1058 m alt., 50°23.5003’ N 13°0.5335’ E, 23 September 2017, Z. Palice 27662 (FR-0362808; PRA), Lecanomics Code: 581; Liberecký kraj, Jizerské hory Mts, 741 m alt., 50°46.7450’ N 15°11.3150’ E, 17 July 2017, Z. Palice 21276, 21277 (FR-0362809; FR-0362810; PRA), Lecanomics Code: 235, 254; GERMANY. Bayern: Freyung-Grafenau, Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald, 1117 m alt., 48°56.7720’ N 13°28.0847’ E, 30 November 2017, S. Kern TS 3-12-7 (FR-0362811), Lecanomics Code: 215; Hessen: Fulda, Gersfeld (Rhön), 555 m alt., 50° 27.2768’ N 9°56.8107’ E, 28 September 2019, V. Ziller 7 (FR-0265491), Lecanomics Code: 591; Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Vorpommern-Rügen, Dünenheide Insel Hiddensee, 3 m alt., 54°32.5984’ N 13°6.1136’ E, 13 June 2020, C. Dolnik 4585 (FR-0362812), Lecanomics Code: 849; Schleswig-Holstein: Pinneberg, Himmelmoor, 12 m alt., 53°44.8001’ N 9°51.6931’ E, 09 November 2019, C. Dolnik 4317 (FR-0362813), Lecanomics Code: 848; Rendsburg-Eckernförde, near Ascheffel, 50 m alt., 54°24.9219’ N 9°40.9975’ E, 26 March 2014, C. Dolnik 2852 (FR-0362814), Lecanomics Code: 414; GREECE. Decentralized Administration of Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian, Zakynthos, Marathonisi Island, along W coast, mixed with Lecanora cf. conizella, 5 m alt., 37°41.1517’ N 20°51.9851’ E, 01 July 2017, Z. Palice 24212, specimen identified originally as Lecanora conizella.