Sporastatia testudinea (Ach.) A. Massal.

Geneac. Lich.: 9, 1854. Basionym: Lecidea cechumena var. testudinea Ach. - K. Vetensk.-Akad. Nya Handl., 29: 232, 1808.
Synonyms: Acarospora testudinea (Ach.) A. Massal.; Biatorella morio auct. non (Duby) Flagey; Biatorella testudinea (Ach.) A. Massal.; Biatorella testudinea var. coracina (Schaer.) Th. Fr.; Lecidea coracina Sommerf. nom. illegit.; Lecidea morio auct. non (Duby) Fr.; Lecidea morio var. coracina Schaer.; Sporastatia morio auct. non (Duby) Körb.; Sporastatia morio var. testudinea (Ach.) Körb.; Sporastatia testudinea var. coracina (Schaer.) Stein; Sporastatia testudinea var. pallens (Fr.) Stein
Distribution: N - Frl (Tretiach & Hafellner 2000), Ven, TAA (Lang 2009, Nascimbene & al. 2022), Lomb (Dalle Vedove & al. 2004), Piem (Morisi & Sereno 1995, Allisiardi 2001, Isocrono & al. 2003, 2004, Isocrono & Piervittori 2008, Favero-Longo & al. 2013, Watson 2014), VA (Borlandelli & al. 1996, Piervittori & Isocrono 1997, 1999, Piervittori & al. 1998, 2001, 2004, Favero-Longo & al. 2005b, Isocrono & al. 2008, Favero-Longo & Piervittori 2009, Matteucci & al. 2015c), Emil (Fariselli & al. 2020), Lig (TSB 33699b). C - Sar (Nöske 2000).
Description: Thallus crustose episubstratic, finely areolate, yellowish brown, brown or almost black, somewhat glossy, usually slightly paler in marginal parts, forming up to 4(-8) cm wide patches delimited by a black prothallus. Areoles developing on a black hypothallus, sharply angular, smooth, 0.3-0.6(-1) mm wide, flat or slightly convex, the marginal ones clearly rectangular-elongate and radiating. Cortex pale grey in lower part, pale brown in upper part, covered with a thick, colourless epinecral layer; algal layer discontinuous; medulla white to grey, of interwoven thick-walled hyphae inspersed with granules, I-. Apothecia lecideine, black to black-brown, developing among the areoles, level with thallus and separated by a crack, 0.2-0.6(-1) mm across, with a smooth to fissured disc, and a thin, persistent proper margin. Proper exciple dark brown, 20-50 µm thick, K+ reddish; epithecium 20-30 µm high, dark blue-green, K+ reddish, N+ red; hymenium colourless, 75-110 µm high, I+ dark blue; paraphyses 1.7-2 µm thick at mid-level, the apical cells 2.5-3.5 µm wide; hypothecium pale grey to yellow-brown, 35-100 µm thick, I+ dark blue. Asci 100-150-spored, broadly clavate, the apical dome uniformly K/I+ blue. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, 2.5-4 x 2-3.5 µm. Pycnidia rare, black, immersed. Conidia simple, hyaline, 3-4(-6) x 1-1.5 µm. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: cortex and medulla K-, C+ red, KC+ red, P-. Chemistry (Øvstedal & al. 2009, Hafellner & al. 2014, Obermayer in litt.): 5-O-methylhiascic acid (major), gyrophoric acid (minor), lecanoric acid (trace).
Note: an arctic-alpine to boreal-montane, circumpolar lichen found on hard siliceous rocks, including pure quartz in wind-exposed sites near or above treeline, reaching the nival belt in the Alps; most frequent in the Alps, but also known from the high Mediterranean mountains.
Growth form: Crustose
Substrata: rocks
Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia
Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

Alpine belt: extremely common
Subalpine belt: very common
Oromediterranean belt: extremely rare
Montane belt: extremely 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


Pier Luigi Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 38596



P.L. Nimis; Owner: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste
Herbarium: TSB (13494)
2001/11/30



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Stelvio National Park, Reg. Trentino-Alto Adige Prov. Trento, Italy.
07.2005



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Stelvio National Park, Reg. Trentino-Alto Adige Prov. Trento, Italy.
07.2005



Pier Luigi Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 41721



Pier Luigi Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 41724



Pier Luigi Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 41724



Pier Luigi Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 38504



Pier Luigi Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 38504



P.L. Nimis; Owner: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste
Herbarium: TSB (13494)
2001/11/30


Magnusson A. H. (1935) Acarosporaceae, Thelocarpaceae. - In: Rabenhorst G. L.: Kryptogamen-Flora von Deutschland, Österreich, und der Schweiz-. 2nd- IX. Die Flechten. Abt. 5- 1. Gebr. Borntraeger. Leipzig, pp. 1-318. – Public Domain



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 44050



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 44050


Courtesy Danièle et Olivier Gonnet - Source: https://www.afl-lichenologie.fr/Photos_AFL/Photos_AFL_S/Text_S/Sporastatia_testudinea.htm
France, Col de la Cayolle - 23/7/2014 - session AFL dans le Mercatour - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - (04) -


Courtesy Danièle et Olivier Gonnet - Source: https://www.afl-lichenologie.fr/Photos_AFL/Photos_AFL_S/Text_S/Sporastatia_testudinea.htm
France, Col de la Cayolle - 23/7/2014 - session AFL dans le Mercatour - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - (04) -


Courtesy Danièle et Olivier Gonnet - Source: https://www.afl-lichenologie.fr/Photos_AFL/Photos_AFL_S/Text_S/Sporastatia_testudinea.htm
France, Col de la Cayolle - 23/7/2014 - session AFL dans le Mercatour - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - (04) -


Courtesy Danièle et Olivier Gonnet - Source: https://www.afl-lichenologie.fr/Photos_AFL/Photos_AFL_S/Text_S/Sporastatia_testudinea.htm
France, Col de la Cayolle - 23/7/2014 - session AFL dans le Mercatour - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - (04) -


Courtesy Danièle et Olivier Gonnet - Source: https://www.afl-lichenologie.fr/Photos_AFL/Photos_AFL_S/Text_S/Sporastatia_testudinea.htm
France, Col de la Cayolle - 23/7/2014 - session AFL dans le Mercatour - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - (04) -


Courtesy Danièle et Olivier Gonnet - Source: https://www.afl-lichenologie.fr/Photos_AFL/Photos_AFL_S/Text_S/Sporastatia_testudinea.htm
France, Col de la Cayolle - 23/7/2014 - session AFL dans le Mercatour - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - (04) -


Courtesy Danièle et Olivier Gonnet - Source: https://www.afl-lichenologie.fr/Photos_AFL/Photos_AFL_S/Text_S/Sporastatia_testudinea.htm
France, Col de la Cayolle - 23/7/2014 - session AFL dans le Mercatour - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - (04) -