We report the unexpected discovery of foliicolous lichen communities at several localities in the Black Forest, south-western Germany, with a total of seven truly or facultatively foliicolous taxa: Bacidina chloroticula, Fellhanera bouteillei, F. subtilis, F. viridisorediata, Fellhaneropsis myrtillicola, Gyalectidium setiferum, and Scoliciosporum curvatum. The communities are similar to those reported previously from Belgium, western Germany (Mosel valley), and Austria (Styria), apparently forming a characteristic association across central Europe (Fellhaneretum myrtillicolae SPIER & APTROOT), but are richer in species in the Black Forest than in any of the other areas studied. An identification key is provided to the species of this association in the Black Forest. Gyalectidium setiferum is new for central Europe, and Scoliciosporum curvatum is new to southern Germany.
Since these lichen communities appear to be confined to well-conserved forest and depend on favorable, warm-humid climatic conditions, their potential use as indicators of global climatic change is discussed.
Die Flechte Bunodophoron melanocarpum (Sw.)
Wedin (= Sphaerophorus melanocarpus (Sw.)
DC.; Sphaerophoraceae, Lecanorales) ist der
einzige aus Europa bekannte Vertreter der Gattung, die etwa 20 überwiegend in der temperaten
Zone der Südhemisphäre vorkommende Arten
umfasst. Kennzeichnend sind die strauchigen,
grau bis weißlich gefärbten Thalli aus lockeren,
zweiseitig federig verzweigten, deutlich verfachten Abschnitten (Abb. 1-2; Tibell 1999, Wedin & Gilbert in Smith et al. 2009, Wirth 1995,
Wirth, Hauck & Schultz 2013).