ITALIC 8.0

Lecanoropsis quercicola (Coppins & P. James) Ivanovich

in Ivanovich & al., Phytotaxa, 695, 1: 38, 2025. Basionym: Lecanora quercicola Coppins & P. James - Lichenologist, 11: 145, 1979.

Synonyms:

Distribution: N - Lomb (Zocchi & al. 1997). C - Tosc, Sar (B 60 0153517, det Z. Palice).

Description: Thallus crustose, episubstratic, rimose-areolate to warted, rarely granular, yellowish grey, grey or pale grey-brown, without a distinct prothallus. Apothecia lecanorine, 0.2-0.5(-0.7) mm across, at first immersed, then sessile with a slightly constricted base, with a flat to slightly convex, pale to pinkish-grey to brown or reddish brown, often faintly pruinose disc, and an often slightly paler, whitish, persistent, more or less crenulate thalline margin. Thalline exciple thinly corticate, the outer rim filled with granules, the cortex 12-18 μm wide laterally, c. 20 μm wide at base; proper exciple often evident, yellowish, pseudoparenchymatous in inner part; epithecium colourless, N-, filled with yellowish granules; hymenium colourless, 40-50(-60) μm high; paraphyses mainly simple, (1.5-)2-2.5 μm thick at mid-level, the apical cells up to 3.5 μm wide; hypothecium colourless, 60-100 μm high. Asci 8-spored, broadly clavate, very thin-walled, with a K/I+ blue, tall tholus penetrated by a faintly amyloid apical cushion, the wall K/I-, surrounded by a blue outer layer, Lecanora-type. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, narrowly ellipsoid, 8-10(-12) x 4-5 μm. Pycnidia of 2 types: a) 90-100 μm wide macropycnidia producing slightly curved, macroconidia (always present) measuring 8.5-9.3 x (2.5-)2.7-3(-3.2) μm, b) up to 70-90 μm wide micropycnidia producing curved, pointed microconidia (rare) measuring 10-11 x c. 1 µm. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: thallus K- or K+ faintly yellow, C-, KC-, P-, UV+ grey-white. Chemistry: isousnic acid, variable amounts of neousnic acid.

Note: on well-lit boles of ancient deciduous trees (e.g. Quercus, Castanea); mainly Tyrrhenian, but also reported from the Austrian Alps. It is included in the Italian red list of epiphytic lichens as “Critically Endangered” (Nascimbene & al. 2013c). For further details see van den Boom & Brand (2008) and Ivanovich & al. (2025).

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: extremely rare

Humid mediterranean belt: absent

Dry mediterranean belt: absent

pH of the substrata:

1

2

3

4

5

(info)

Solar irradiation:

1

2

3

4

5

(info)

Aridity:

1

2

3

4

5

(info)

Eutrophication:

1

2

3

4

5

(info)

Poleotolerance:

0

1

2

3

(info)

Altitudinal distribution:

1

2

3

4

5

6

(info)

Predictive model

Herbarium samples

P.L. Nimis CC BY-SA 04

TSB 11183

P.L. Nimis CC BY-SA 04

TSB 11183