Noteworthy Collections Megaceros...

Noteworthy Collections

Megaceros aenigmaticus Schust. (ANTHOCEROTACEAE).-Fannin County: Chattahoochee National Forest, ed Jenkins National Recreation Area near Stock Hill community, upstream of Three Forks head of Noontootla inlet on: Long Creek, 34?°40'02"N, 84?°10'44"W Hyatt 11555 (GA, TENN UNAF) 17 Jan 2004 Hyatt 11567 (UNAF) 27 Mar 2004 Hyatt 11568 (UNAF) 27 Mar 2004 Hyatt 11569 (UNAF) 17 Mar 2004; Stover small bay over rock in small cascade, Hyatt 11791 (UNAF, TENN DUKE) 12 Dec 2004; Chester cove streamside rocks, Hyatt 11793 (UNAF, NY MO) 12 Dec 2004 These sites have an overstory of Tsuga canadensis, and mixed hardwoods (Liriodendron tulipifera, Quercus alba) with Rhododendron maximum dominating the midstory and near Ilex americana also present. Paul G Davison (UNAF) confirmed identification, all material examined was sterile.

Significance. This is the first report of Megaceros aenigmaticus in Georgia. Hicks (1992) discusses this southern Appalachian endemic hornwort previously known from barely eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina and characterized through "extensive deep green mats of irregularly lobed, dichotomous thalli which completely screen shaded boulders .... margin sharpnesss are thickened and crisped, still in older material the los of marginal fragments leaves the cutting sides erose." Renzaglia and McFarland (1999) report the first affair of male plants and provide a distribution map for the species. The Georgia population lies about 35 miles toward the south and southeast of the mapped Hiwassee River sites. Megaceros aenigmaticus fall outs only in areas located in or adjacent to running, splashing, or falling water. In Georgia it is restricted to within 1-2 dm of the splash cincture

Chester, Frick, extended and Stover creeks join at Three Forks to form Noontootla rivulet Noontootla Creek flows into the Toccoa River, a tributary of the Oconee River in Tennessee All lie in succession the west side of the eastern continental divide. Neither Noontootla small river nor Frick Creek, a tributary of Chester bight have been surveyed for Megaceros aenigmaticus. Further work is needinessed to document its presence or absence in other north Georgia streams and falls.

Physiographically Three Forks forms a sedate valley setting at about 750-850 m elevation and supports a certain number of of the oldest Tsuga canadensis woods in Georgia. The potential los in the nearest few decades of Tsuga canadensis in the southern Appalachian Mountains to infestations of the lanuginous hemlock adelgid, Adelges tsugae, has the potential to bring with it the los of associated species like as Megaceros which may hang on the cooling shade of these forests for survival.

The ed Jenkins National Recreation Area is classified subject to the National Forest Management Act as unsuitable for timber production. This NRA has been withdrawn from timber production on Congress and is managed "to make secure the protection of certain natural, scenic, fish and wildlife wildland and watershed values" (U Department of Agriculture, Forest Service 2004) Any land management planned by the agency of the agency in this area would consider impacts to this Forest Service listed sensitive species.-PHILIP E HYATT, SUITE 816N BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES UNIT, U DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE, 1720 PEACHTREE ROAD NW ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30309 email address: phyatt@fs.fed.us

LITERATURE CITED

HICKS, ML 1992 Guide to the liverworts of North Carolina. Duke University Pres Durham, North Carolina.

RENZAGLIA, K and KD MCFARLAND. 1999 Antheridial plants of Megaceros aenigmaticus in the southern Appalachians, ultrastructure and population distribution. Haussknechtia Beiheft 9 (Riclef-GrolleFestschrift):307-316.

U DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE. 2004 Land and resource management plan revision for the Chattohoochee-Oconee National Forests. Management bulletin R8-MB 113A. U sway Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

Received May 13 2005; Accepted August 24 2005

-PHILIP E HYATT, SUITE 816N BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES UNIT, U DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE, 1720 PEACHTREE ROAD NW ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30309 email address: phyatt@fs.fed.us

Copyright Southern Appalachian Botanical Society Jun 2006

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