Violella fucata (Stirt.) T. Sprib.

Lichenologist, 43: 461, 2011. Basionym: Lecidea fucata Stirt. - Scottish Natur., 5: 16, 1879.
Synonyms: Megalospora fucata (Stirt.) H. Olivier; Mycoblastus fucatus (Stirt.) Zahlbr.; Mycoblastus sterilis Coppins & P. James
Distribution: N - Frl (Nascimbene & al. 2021), Ven (Pistocchi & al. 2026), TAA (Thor & Nascimbene 2007, Nascimbene & al. 2007b, 2022, Nimis & al. 2015), Lomb (Pistocchi & al. 2026), Lig (Pistocchi & al. 2026). C - Tosc (Brackel 2015).
Description: Thallus crustose, episubstratic, greyish white to bluish grey in non-sorediate parts, continuous to areolate, usually but not always sorediate, forming regular or irregular, up to 3(-l0) cm wide patches, often delimited by a blue- or brown-black prothallus, especially when forming mosaics. Areoles more or less rounded to irregular in outline, adnate, convex, up to c. 0.3 mm in diam., the continuous parts usually distinctly tuberculate and more or less fissured. Soralia green or pale yellowish green when abraded, often appearing bluish grey due to a pigment in the external soredia, bursting from the apices of areoles or tubercles, concave to convex, usually of variable size, up to 1.5 mm in diam., discrete to contiguous, occasionally a few becoming confluent, but never forming a leprose crust, the soredia mostly farinose, sometimes gathered into larger, up to 90 μm wide consoredia; external soredia sometimes with a brown, K+ intensifying, N+ reddish brown pigment. Apothecia usually rare, biatorine, 0.5-1.5(-2) mm across, glossy black, closely appressed, with a flat to strongly convex disc and a thin, soon excluded proper margin. Proper exciple reduced, the hyphae vertically arranged and resembling paraphyses; epithecium scarcely differentiated from the hymenium; hymenium greenish (Cinereorufa-green pigment), with many purple-violet granules (Fucatus-violet pigment) reacting N+ red, K+ dissolving bright blue-green; paraphyses stout, straight or slightly curved with thinner cross-bridges; hypothecium red-brown, the lower part pale violet to colourless, rarely red-brown-spotted. Asci (1-)2(-3)-spored, cylindrical-clavate, very thick-walled, with a K/I+ blue apical dome and a distinct ocular chamber, the outer layer forming a K/I+ dark blue apical cap, intermediate between the Biatora and the Bacidia-type. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline but turning brownish when overmature, ellipsoid, (25-)30-48(-52) x 15-21 μm, initially with a single wall, later with an additional internal wall which turns brown. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: K+ bright yellow turning red-brown, C-, KC+ dull brown, P+ rust-red, UV-. Chemistry: fumarprotocetraric acid, atranorin, chloroatranorin, traces of protocetraric acid.
Note: a cool-temperate lichen found on bark in humid woodlands of the montane belt; certainly much overlooked in the Alps, being mostly sterile. The species is widely distributed in the Holarctic region, from the northern boreal to the nemoral-montane zone (in Asia with enclaves in the Himalayan range). It is included in the Italian red list of epiphytic lichens as “Data Deficient” (Nascimbene & al. 2013c).
Growth form: Crustose
Substrata: bark
Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia
Reproductive strategy: mainly asexual, by soredia, or soredia-like structures (e.g. blastidia)

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

Alpine belt: absent
Subalpine belt: absent
Oromediterranean belt: absent
Montane belt: very 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
INDEX FUNGORUM GBIF DOLICHENS


P.L. Nimis; Owner: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste
Herbarium: TSB (18194)
2001/11/26



Felix Schumm - CC BY-SA 4.0
[VZR66], Sina. Priv. Yunnan, montes Yulong Shan, 30 km ad septentriones ab oppido Likiang, 4000 m. Ad truncum arboris. Leg. J. Soják, 25.7.1990, det. A. Vezda. EX A. VEZDA: LICHENES RARIORES EXSICCATI NR. 66, as Mycoblastus fucatus



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 38815



Pier Luigi Nimis - CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 38815


Leif Stridvall - Source: http://www.stridvall.se/la/galleries.php . Courtesy: Anita Stridvall


Jacques Haine - Source: http://www.lichensmaritimes.org/index.php?task=fiche&lichen=618&lang=en
France, Ardennes


Jacques Haine - Source: http://www.lichensmaritimes.org/index.php?task=fiche&lichen=618&lang=en
France, Ardennes


Jacques Haine - Source: http://www.lichensmaritimes.org/index.php?task=fiche&lichen=618&lang=en
France, Ardennes


Ulrich Kirschbaum
Central Europe.



Felix Schumm - CC BY-SA 4.0
[VZR66], Sina. Priv. Yunnan, montes Yulong Shan, 30 km ad septentriones ab oppido Likiang, 4000 m. Ad truncum arboris. Leg. J. Soják, 25.7.1990, det. A. Vezda. EX A. VEZDA: LICHENES RARIORES EXSICCATI NR. 66, as Mycoblastus fucatus


Leif Stridvall - Source: http://www.stridvall.se/la/galleries.php . Courtesy: Anita Stridvall