Beata Krzewicka

The lichen genus Umbilicaria from the neighbourhood of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, maritime Antarctic), with a proposed new key to all Antarctic taxa

This paper documents the occurrence of the genus Umbilicaria in the neighbourhood of Admiralty Bay on King George Island in the maritime Antarctic. Nine species are reported from the area surveyed, with Umbilicaria kappeni being reported from King George Island for the first time. The occurrence of U. aprina, U. cristata and U. umbilicarioides on the island is confirmed and that of U. aprina is its first documented record from the maritime Antarctic. Fertile specimens of U. umbilicarioides are recorded for the first time from Antarctica. The area around Admiralty Bay seems to be one of the Antarctic regions with the highest diversity of Umbilicaria species. The diagnostic characters and distribution of each species are discussed. An updated key for identification of all the Antarctic species of the genus is provided.

Morphological and nuclear ribosomal DNA data support distinguishing two new species of Umbilicaria (Umbilicariaceae, Ascomycota) from Europe

Umbilicaria iberica and U. maculata are described as new to science on the basis of morphological and molecular data. Umbilicaria iberica is similar to U. polyphylla but differs in having a monophyllous thallus with a distinctive white reticular pattern over the umbilicus and actinodisc apothecia. Umbilicaria maculata is similar to U. cylindrica but this new species is distinguished by its grey-brown thallus with sparse marginal cilia and white stains on the upper surface especially in the marginal zone, as well as by sessile apothecia with one or a few sterile fissures. Nuclear ITS and LSU rDNA have been used as molecular markers. In the phylogenetic analysis U. polyphylla falls into two well supported clades (A and B), one of which corresponds to the morphotype that is described here as a new taxon. Specimens previously recognized as U. cylindrica fall into three well supported clades: clade C corresponds to the typical morphotype, clade D corresponds to morphotype II described here as a new taxon, and clade E is morphotype III which is recognized as U. cf. umbilicarioides . Typical group I introns have been found in position 1506 of the nuclear SSU rDNA of Umbilicaria ; a consensus secondary structure of these introns is presented and we conclude that they represent an important and valuable molecular marker which gives additional support to the ITS and LSU sequence phylogeny obtained.

Lichen species from the northeastern shore of Sørkapp Land (Svalbard)

In July and August 2005, the occurrence, distribution, and ecology of lichen species were studied in northeastern Sørkapp Land region (Spitsbergen) in areas undergoing the process of rapid glacier recession over the past century. A total of 48 lichen species were observed and two species (Acarosporaheppii and Pycnotheliapapillaria) are newly reported for the Svalbard archipelago.