Rhizocarpon simillimum (Anzi) Lettau

Hedwigia, 52: 156, 1912. Basionym: Buellia simillima Anzi - Comm. Soc. Critt. Ital., 2, 1: 19, 1864.
Synonyms: Buellia subbadia Anzi; Catocarpus simillimus (Anzi) Arnold; Rhizocarpon atroalbum var. africanum Flagey; Rhizocarpon sublestum (Nyl.) Zahlbr.
Distribution: N - Frl (TSB 4365), TAA (Nascimbene & al. 2022), Lomb, Piem (Giordani & al. 2014), VA (Piervittori & Isocrono 1999, Valcuvia 2000, Matteucci & al. 2015c), Emil (Fariselli & al. 2020). C - Tosc, Sar (Nöske 2000). S - Camp (Garofalo & al. 1999), Cal (Puntillo 1996).
Description: Thallus crustose, episubstratic, dark grey to dark brown, rimose-areolate, forming up to 8(-10) mm wide patches delimited by a dark prothallus, the areoles contiguous or scattered, rounded to angular, mostly flat, up to 0.3 mm in diam. Medulla white, I+ deep blue. Apothecia round to angular, 0.2-0.5(-0.8) mm across, with a more or less flat, epruinose disc and a thin, usually persistent, sometimes finally excluded proper margin. Proper exciple brownish black in outer part, paler within, K+ purple-red (solution); epithecium brown to brown-black, without crystals, K- or K+ faintly purple-red; hymenium colourless, 70-85 µm high; hypothecium dark brown, K+ purple-red. Asci 8-spored, clavate, fissitunicate, with a well-developed tholus that is K/I- in lower part and K/I+ blue near the apex, lacking an ocular chamber, Rhizocarpon-type. Ascospores 1-septate, soon dark brown-black, ellipsoid, 10-16 x 5-8 µm, halonate at least when young. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: medulla K- or K+ pale yellow, C-, KC-, P- or P+ faintly yellow-orange. Chemistry: without lichen substances, or with variable amounts of stictic acid.
Note: on steeply inclined surfaces of siliceous, base-rich or slightly calciferous rocks in upland areas; present both in the Alps and along the Apennines, south to the mountains of Calabria.
Growth form: Crustose
Substrata: rocks
Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia
Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

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

Einar Timdal - Source: http://nhm2.uio.no/lav/web/index.html - CC BY-NC