Psorotichia obtenebrans (Nyl.) Forssell

N. Acta Reg. Soc. Sci. Upsal., ser. 3, 13: 77, 1885. Basionym: Collemopsis obtenebrans Nyl. - Flora, 68: 39, 1885.
Synonyms:
Distribution: C - Tosc (TSB 30615).
Description: Thallus crustose to crustose-placodioid, rimose-areolate, usually well delimited, often with radiating marginal lobes, homoiomerous, pseudoparenchymatous throughout, the hyphae 3-6 µm thick. Areoles 0.1-0.75 mm wide, flat, smooth, contiguous, black to dark grey when dry, dark olive-brown when wet, epruinose, not granulose, the peripheral ones often elongate and radiating. Apothecia at first immersed then sessile, 1 or 2 per areole, 0.2-0.4 mm across, with an initially punctiform, later expanded, concave, dark brown disc surrounded by a thick, smooth, epruinose thalline margin. Proper exciple poorly differentiated, cupuliform, formed by a few anastomosing hyphae; epithecium orange-brown, 7-15 µm high; hymenium colourless, 90-100 µm high, I+ blue; paraphyses branched and anastomosing, with cylindrical cells, 2-3 µm thick, only slightly constricted at septa; hypothecium colourless, 30-50 µm high. Asci 8-spored, cylindrical-clavate, with a rather thick, not amyloid wall, without apical amyloid thickenings, 60-75 x 10-15 µm. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, ellipsoid to subglobose, 10-12(-14) x 6-8(-9) µm. Photobiont cyanobacterial, chroococcoid, of a few cells measuring 4-7 x 3-5 µm, surrounded by a gelatinous sheath which is yellowish brown near the thallus surface. Spot tests: all negative. Chemistry: without lichen substances.
Note: a southern species of sunny calcareous rocks at relatively low elevations; perhaps related to Pterygiopsis affinis.
Growth form: Crustose
Substrata: rocks
Photobiont: cyanobacteria, filamentous (e.g. Nostoc, Scytonema)
Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual
On otherwise dry surfaces with short periods of water seepage after rain
Poorly known taxon in need of further study

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

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

pH of the substrata:

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Solar irradiation:

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Aridity:

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Eutrophication:

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Poleotolerance:

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Altitudinal distribution:

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Predictive model
Herbarium samples


P.L. Nimis; Owner: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste
Herbarium: TSB (30615)
2003/03/12
identification not certain