ITALIC 8.0

Biatora mendax Anzi

Comm. Soc. Critt. Ital., 1, 3: 153, 1862.

Synonyms: Biatora propinquata (Nyl.) Arnold; Biatora subflavida (Nyl.) Arnold; Biatorina mendax (Anzi) Jatta; Catillaria mendax (Anzi) Lettau; Lecidea propinquata Nyl.; Lecidea subflavida Nyl.

Distribution: N - Frl (Tretiach & Carvalho 1995, Printzen 1995), TAA (Printzen 1995, Nascimbene & al. 2022), Lomb (Anzi Lich. Lang. 168: Printzen 1995, Ravera & al. 2023). S - Cal.

Description: Thallus crustose, thinly episubstratic, greenish grey to pale grey (turning beige to pale brown in the herbarium), continuous to rimose-areolate, the areoles (which are rarely well-developed) flat, 0.25-0.8 mm wide, with partially raised margins. Apothecia biatorine, rounded or slightly irregular in outline, sessile with a slightly constricted basis, 0.4-0.7(-1) mm across, with a brown-black to black, rarely grey-brown, epruinose, flat to moderately convex disc, and an often slightly paler, thin, finally excluded proper margin; damaged apothecia often become tuberculate. Proper exciple well-developed, of branched, radiating hyphae with protruding, capitate terminal cells; epithecium sordid brown, K-, N-; hymenium colourless or brownish, 35-60 µm high; paraphyses simple or sparingly branched in upper part, 1-1.5(-2) µm thick at mid-level, the apical cells slightly swollen; hypothecium colourless, pale sordid brown, N-, 30-80 µm high, hardly distinct from the subhymenium. Asci 8-spored, clavate, with a K/I+ blue apical dome penetrated by a narrow, K/I– apical cushion surrounded by a narrow, deeply K/I+ blue zone, the wall K/I- but surrounded by an I+ red-brown, K/I+ blue outer layer, the ocular chamber relatively small, Biatora-type, 38-51 x 9-12.5 µm. Ascospores 1-celled (rarely 1-septate), hyaline, oblong-fusiform, (9-)12-17(-20) x (3-)3.5-4.5(-5.5) µm. Pycnidia rare, immersed, colourless or dark brown in the periostiolar region, more or less globose, c. 140 µm across. Conidia 5.5-8 x 0.7-1 µm. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: thallus K-, C-, KC-, P+ orange-red. Chemistry: thallus with argopsin and traces of norargopsin.

Note: an epiphytic species found in shaded and humid situations, with optimum in humid beech forests with Abies alba. It is included in the Italian red list of epiphytic lichens as “Endangered” (Nascimbene & al. 2013c).

Growth form: Crustose

Substrata: bark

Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia

Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

Alpine belt: absent

Subalpine belt: extremely rare

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:

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

P.L. Nimis CC BY-SA 04

TSB 18178

P.L. Nimis; Owner: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste

Herbarium: TSB (18178)
2001/11/22