ITALIC 8.0

Lecidea auriculata subsp. brachyspora Th. Fr.

Lichenogr. Scand., 2: 501, 1874.

Synonyms: Lecidea brachyspora var. dissentiens Bagl. & Carestia?

Distribution: N - Ven, TAA, Piem (Isocrono & al. 2004, 2006).

Description: Thallus crustose, episubstratic, cracked-areolate, white to grey-white, usually without a distinct prothallus. Medulla I+ violet-blue. Apothecia lecideine, black, adnate and slightly constricted at base, l-2(-2.5) mm across, with a flat, epruinose disc, and an irregularly flexuose, prominent, persistent proper margin. Proper exciple 80-130 μm thick, partially extending below the hypothecium, dark brown to violet-brown in outer part, pale brown, pinkish brown or colourless within, of intricate-radiating, 2-3 μm thick, thin walled, loosely arranged hyphae, C- or C+ red; epithecium blue-green; hymenium colourless or pale green, 40-50 μm high; paraphyses mostly simple, 1.3-2 µm thick at mid-level, the apical cells 3-4(-5) µm wide, with a dark green cap; hypothecium conspicuous, pale violet-brown. Asci 8-spored, narrowly clavate, thick-walled, with a K/I+ pale blue tholus and a strongly amyloid, thin apical cushion, surrounded by a I+ blue outer layer, Lecidea-type. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, pseudodiblastic, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose 4.8-7.5 x 3.6-4.6 µm, 1.1-1.7 times as long as wide. Spot tests: thallus K-, C-, KC-, P-, UV-. Chemistry: confluentic acid, glomelliferic acid (trace), 2-0-methylconfluentic acid (trace), 2'-0-methylanziaic acid (trace).

Note: ecologically similar to the typical subspecies, from which it differs is the shorter spores, this taxon is also known from the Himalayas; the only certain record in the Alps is from Tyrol, and all Italian records need confirmation.

Growth form: Crustose

Substrata: rocks

Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia

Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

Alpine belt: extremely rare

Subalpine belt: very rare

Oromediterranean belt: absent

Montane belt: absent

Submediterranean belt: absent

Padanian area: absent

Humid submediterranean belt: absent

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

Index Fungorum GBIF

Serge Poumarat - Source: http://mycologie.catalogne.free.fr/lichenPhoto2009/Lecidea_auriculata_brachyspora_2.jpg

France, Alpes de Haut-Provence