Alexey D. Potemkin

New national and regional bryophyte records, 48

Andreaea rothii has been recorded for the first time in Croatia. It is a boreo-temperate suboceanic species (Hill et al., 2007) relatively rare in SE Europe, since it is known only from Romania (Ellis et al., 2014d), Slovenia and Serbia (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2008 ; Hodgetts, 2015). The species was found in the Papuk Mountains, situated in the mainly lowland area of NE Croatia. In this region Papuk is the largest and highest mountain range, with peaks between 800 and 900 m a.s.l. They are characterized by high geological diversity dominated by metamorphic rocks, such as different types of schists, as well as granites. The climate is temperate, moderately warm without an explicit dry period. About 60% of the almost totally forested area is covered by different communities of beech forests. The well-developed black patches of A. rothii cover an area ca 2 m× 0.5 m on a steep north-facing cliff on the edge of an acidothermophilic sessile oak (Quercus petraea agg.) forest. The specimens of A. rothii grew on the bare rock with the following bryophyte species: Cynodontium polycarpon (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranella heteromalla (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranum scoparium Hedw., Polytrichum piliferum Schreb. ex Hedw. and Rhabdoweisia (cf.) fugax (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. The population is very small with an extremely high risk of extinction, therefore we propose CR as Red List status for the taxon in Croatia. According to the last checklist of the moss flora of Croatia (Sabovljevic´, 2006), only Andreaea rupestris Hedw., collected from just one locality in 1927 (Horvat, 1932 and ZA), was reported for the genus. The locality is very interesting from the point of view of the vegetation of Croatia, because it is within 100 m of the second stand of Fagus sylvatica L.-Sphagnum quinquefarium (Braithw.) Warnst. forest (Alegro et al., 2015). The second occurrence of Dicranum spurium Hedw. (Ellis et al., 2014d) and Rhabdoweisia fugax (Papp et al., 2013) in Croatia are also found here. Another interesting moss is S. capillifolium (Ehrh.) Hedw., that forms small red patches within the thick carpets of S. quinquefarium under the open oulder scree forest in the neighbourhood.

The genus Ascidiota C.Massal. (Porellaceae, Marchantiophyta) in North Asia

Abstract In 2013 the monotypic genus Ascidiota C.Massal. was found in the Republic of Buryatia and the Taymyr District of Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia. These are the most northerly known localities for Ascidiota. An illustration, distribution map and complete description of A. blepharophylla C.Massal. are provided. Variation, differentiation, and distribution of A. blepharophylla are discussed. A key to distinguish Ascidiota from morphologically similar species of the genera Porella L. and Frullania Raddi is presented. Sequences of nrITS1–5·8S–ITS2 were identical in plants from Buryatia and Alaska. This supports the hypothesis of the integrity of this monotypic genus. Inadequate bryological exploration of many northern territories suggests that the list of Ascidiota records, especially in north Asia, will be extended in the future.

Female plants and range extensions in Scapania davidii Potemkin (Scapaniaceae, Marchantiophyta)

Scapania davidii Potemkin, previously known from the Xizang district of China, East Nepal and India (West District of Sikkim), is now reported from Bhutan and the North and East Districts of Sikkim and Anjaw District of Arunachal Pradesh in India. Female plants with well-developed perianths are described and illustrated here for the first time. The differentiation of S. davidii from S. ornithopoides (With.) Waddel is discussed. The distinguishing features of S. davidii are hemispherically convex, broadly oval to nearly reniform leaf lobes, the subequal size of the dorsal and ventral lobes resulting in the formation of very compact head-like shoot apices, the decurrency of the dorsal lobe, contrasting deep brown pigmentation of marginal teeth, formation of variable paraphyses in the axils of vegetative leaves and the male and female bracts, and the morphology of the perianth with 1–2-celled cilia on its inner surface closer to the perianth-mouth. An expanded description, illustrations and map showing the spatial distribution of vegetative, male and female plants are provided.