Traponora varians (Ach.) J. Kalb & Kalb

Phytotaxa, 332, 2: 153, 2017. Basionym: Lecidea varians Ach. - Syn. Meth. Lich.: 38, 1814
Synonyms: Biatora decandollei Hepp; Biatora exigua (Chaub.) Fr.; Biatora geographica A. Massal.; Lecidea decandollei (Hepp) Jatta; Lecidea exigua Chaub.
Distribution: N - VG (TSB 21635), Ven (Lazzarin 2000b, Nascimbene & Marini 2010), Lomb, Piem (Matteucci & al. 2013), Lig. C - Tosc, Laz (Ravera 2001, 2006c), Abr. S - Camp (Ricciardi & al. 2000, Nimis & Tretiach 2004), Pugl (Nimis & Tretiach 1999).
Description: Thallus crustose, thinly episubstratic, whitish, pale yellow or greenish grey, smooth to areolate or finely verrucose, often delimited by a dark prothallus. Apothecia lecideine, rounded to deformed by mutual compression, 0.15-0.5 mm across, isolated or aggregated into small clusters, orange-brown, pale yellowish brown or reddish brown, sometimes pruinose when young and blackening when old, with a flat to slightly convex disc and a thin, finally excluded proper margin. Proper exciple ochre to reddish brown at the outer edge, colourless to pale yellow within, 15-30 µm wide laterally, expanding to 50(-65) µm towards the base; epithecium pale yellow-red-brown, with many crystals dissolving in K, 5-10 µm high; hymenium colourless, 40-70 µm high, I+ blue; paraphyses coherent in water, easily made free in K, simple or sparingly branched and anastomosing in upper part, 0.7-1.2 µm thick at mid-level, the apical cells capitate, up to 4.5 µm wide; hypothecium colourless. Asci 8-spored, narrowly clavate, thick-walled, with an I+ blue tholus containing a lighter blue, broadly rounded axial body, Lecidella-type. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, ellipsoid, (7-)8-15 x (3-)4-6(-7) µm. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: thallus K+ yellow, C+ weakly orange or C-, KC+ orange, P-, UV+ orange. Chemistry: atranorin, unidentified xanthones.
Note: a mild-temperate to Mediterranean lichen found in very open woodlands, on smooth bark, especially on branches of deciduous trees; records from Southern Italy are the first from Italy in the XX century. The species was described from American material with somewhat different chemistry (Hertel & Printzen 2004), so that the identity of European material needs further study. It is included in the Italian red list of epiphytic lichens as “Vulnerable” (Nascimbene & al. 2013c).
Growth form: Crustose
Substrata: bark
Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia
Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual
Most common in areas with a humid-warm climate (e.g. most of Tyrrenian Italy)

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

Alpine belt: absent
Subalpine belt: absent
Oromediterranean belt: absent
Montane belt: absent
Submediterranean belt: extremely rare
Padanian area: absent
Humid submediterranean belt: very rare
Humid mediterranean belt: extremely rare
Dry mediterranean belt: absent

pH of the substrata:

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Poleotolerance:

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Altitudinal distribution:

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Predictive model
Herbarium samples


Domenico Puntillo; Owner: Domenico Puntillo



P.L. Nimis CC BY-SA 04
TSB 23287



P.L. Nimis CC BY-SA 04
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 23287



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 39008



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 39008



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 39008



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 39008