Loxospora elatina Split

[Neil Sanderson]

Something I have been meaning to put up for some time. A recent paper https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.102.116196” class=”bbcode_url”>https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.102.116196 (open access) has split the well known Loxospora elatina into two species Loxospora elatina s. str. and Loxospora chloropolia. Loxospora chloropolia appears to be a wide European oceanic to sub-oceanic endemic, while Loxospora elatina s. str. was found much more widely. The paper did not sequence any British material but they did identify numerous herbarium specimens from macro characters. They found Loxospora chloropolia to be overwhelmingly dominant with only a single specimen referred to Loxospora elatina s. str. from S.E. Scotland (East Lothian) on Birch in a ravine woodland (collected by Brian Coppins). Paul Cannon has since confirmed Loxospora chloropolia by sequencing a specimen from Wales

I have made species accounts for Loxospora elatina s. lat., Loxospora elatina s. str. and Loxospora chloropolia https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/resources/species-accounts?species=loxosp” class=”bbcode_url”>https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/resources/species-accounts?species=loxosp, which see for pictures and a PDF flick comparison of Loxospora chloropolia & Loxospora elatina s. str., as a download on the Loxospora elatina s. lat. page. I found the latter very useful for learning the difference. Well developed Loxospora chloropolia is very distinctive and can be recorded on sight, but there is some ambiguous material and all potential records of Loxospora elatina s. str. should be confirmed by experts or sequencing. I have never knowingly seen Loxospora elatina s. str. and it actually does not look much likely the classic search image I have of Loxospora elatina s. lat., which is actally Loxospora chloropolia, in contrast Loxospora elatina s. str, seems to looks more like an odd Ochrolechia microstictoides than Loxospora chloropolia.

Neil

[Neil Sanderson]

Trying to get pictures in, the site is a bit slow at the moment

[attachment=1]Loxospora-chloropolia-2025-11-12-05.jpg[/attachment]
Loxospora chloropolia

[attachment=0]Loxospora-elatina-s.-str.-Phylogeny-of-the-genus-Loxospora-sl-D.jpg[/attachment]
Loxospora elatina s. str. from Ptach-Styn et al (2024) https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.102.116196” class=”bbcode_url”>https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.102.116196

Neil

[Author]

Posts