Lichens and lichenicolous fungi of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada. 2. The Cladoniaceae

Abstract

The Queen Charlotte Islands, off the west coast of British Columbia and with a hypermoist, oceanic climate, has 44 taxa in the Cladoniaceae: 5 species and 1 forma of Cladina, and 34 species with 3 additional subspecies and 1 variety of Cladonia. Two species and one subspecies are described as new to science: Cladonia albonigra Brodo & Ahti, Cladonia schofieldii Ahti & Brodo, and Cladonia ecmocyna Leight. ssp. occidentalis Ahti. In addition, one new combination is made: Cladonia novochlorophaea (Sipman) Brodo & Ahti. Cladonia homosekekaica Nuno, although not part of the Queen Charlotte flora, is also described and discussed. Chemical variation in the Cladoniaceae is examined critically, and many taxa formerly recognized at the species or infraspecific levels are reduced to unnamed chemotypes. The following synonymies were made or confirmed: Cladina aberrans (Abbayes) Hale & W.L. Culb. =Cladina stellaris (Opiz) Brodo; Cladonia squamosa var. subsquamosa (Nyl. ex Leight.) Vain. =Cladonia squamosa Hoffm.; Cladonia pseudostellata Asahina =Cladonia uncialis (L.) F.H. Wigg.; Cladonia japonica Vain. =Cladonia crispata (Ach.) Flot.; Cladonia pseudorangiformis Asahina =Cladonia wainioi Saviez. A thamnolic acid chemotype of Cladonia bellidiflora (Ach.) Schaer. and a thamnolic and usnic acid containing chemotype of Cladonia umbricola Tønsberg & Ahti are common on the Charlottes. Cladonia singularis S. Hammer is reported as new to Canada based on a specimen from Vancouver Island. Cladonia macroptera Räsänen, Cladonia polydactyla (Flörke) Spreng., Cladonia pseudomacilenta Asahina, and Cladonia subsubulata Nyl. are excluded from the North American flora. Cladonia kanewskii Oksner is reported as new to Norway and Europe. Keywords: Cladina, Cladonia, Cladoniaceae, British Columbia.