Thamnolia vermicularis is an unmistakable lichen, typical of arctic-alpine tundra. It grows on acidic soil and is characteristic of exposed mountain habitats above the upper treeline in central Europe. In the Czech Republic, it is known from the top parts of the Krkonoše Mts, Hrubý Jeseník Mts, Šumava Mts and Králický Sněžník Mts In the Krkonoše Mts, it is still locally abundant in the highest parts. In the Hrubý Jeseník Mts, it has been confirmed in 2024 on the top of Mt Vozka. In the Czech part of the Šumava Mts, it was only found at Jezerní stěna by Černé jezero (Hilitzer 1929). There is a single historical record from Králický Sněžník Mts (Flotow 1850). *Thamnolia vermicularis*’s habitats are endangered by global climate change and it will probably decline in the future, or rather is declining already.
The taxonomy of the genus Thamnolia remains unresolved. According to the latest study (Onut-Brännström et al. 2018), there are two cryptic species in central Europe: T. subuliformis and T. vermicularis. Besides DNA sequence data, they can be partly distinguished chemically. Thamnolia subuliformis is found in two chemotypes: 1) baeomycetic and squamatic acid, UV+ white, and 2) thamnolic acid, UV-. Thamnolia vermicularis s. str. only forms the thamnolic acid chemotype. Following this species concept, T. subuliformis certainly occurs in the Czech Republic, but the presence of T. vermicularis is also probable.
Literature: Hilitzer A. (1929): Addenda ad lichenographiam Bohemiae. Series III. (Species in Bohemia novae asterisco notatae sunt.). – Acta Botanica Bohemica 8: 104–118. Grünwaldová V. (1970): Beitrag zur Problematik der Gattung Thamnolia Ach. in der Tschecholowakei. – Biológia 25: 49–55. Flotow J. (1850): Lichenes Florae Silesiae. – Jahresbericht der Schlesischen Gesellschaft der Vaterländische Kultur 27 (1849): 98–135. Onut-Brännström I., Johannesson H. & Tibell L. (2018): Thamnolia tundrae sp. nov., a cryptic species and putative glacial relict. – Lichenologist 50: 59–75.
taxonomic classification:Ascomycota → Lecanoromycetes → Pertusariales → Icmadophilaceae → Thamnolia
most frequented synonyms:Thamnolia subuliformisRed List (Liška & Palice 2010):EN – endangered
Red List (Malíček 2023):C1 – critically endangered
Occurrence in the Czech Republic
All records: 54, confirmed 36. One click on a selected square displays particular record(s), including their source(s).