Micarea polycarpella (Erichsen) Coppins & Palice
in Coppins & al., Bryonora, 16: 23, 1995 . Basionym: Lecidea polycarpella Erichsen - Verh. bot. Ver. Prov. Brandenb., 71: 90, 1929.
Synonyms:
Distribution:
Description: Thallus crustose, thinly episubstratic, of irregular, minutely warted, 0.2-0.3 mm wide areoles, but often evident only near the apothecia, pale brown to greenish-brown; when pycnidia are abundant thallus thicker, of 0.4-1.2, flat to granular, greenish-grey to dull olive-grey areoles. Apothecia biatorine, at first flat or slightly convex, later hemispherical to subglobose, black, matt, simple or clustered and often tuberculate, 0.15-0.3(-0.4) mm across, with a thin, darker proper margin when young. Proper exciple 7-12(-15) µm wide, dark green throughout, the hyphae stout, coherent also in K; epithecium poorly delimited from the hymenium, but usually darker, K-; hymenium colourless, with dark blue-black streaks in lower part, bluish, greyish-blue to aeruginose green in upper part, 30-40(-50) μm high, K-, I+ blue; paraphyses rather scarce, coherent, mostly simple, rarely branched and anastomosing, 1-2 μm thick, but some of them clearly branched in upper part and 2-2.5 μm thick, with >3 μm wide apical cells; hypothecium colourless or pale straw. Asci cylindrical-clavate, with a K/I + pale blue apical dome with a dark blue tubular structure, 30-45 x 7-14 μm. Ascospores simple, hyaline, oblong-ellipsoid or ellipsoid, 8-10(-12) x 3-4.5(-5) μm. Pycnidia immersed, black, 70-150 μm wide, the ostioles widely gaping, the walls dull olive to aeruginose black, K-. Mesoconidia cylindrical, 4-5 x 1.2-1.4(-1.6) μm. Photobiont chlorococcoid, not micareoid, the cells globose, (7-)10-21(-28) μm wide. Spot tests: thallus K-, C-, KC-, P-, UV-. Chemistry: without lichen substances.Note: a widespread, but poorly collected species known from several localities in Central Europe, a pioneer colonizer usually growing in disturbed habitats
on loose or dumped siliceous stones. The species probably does not belong to Micarea (Czarnota 2007). To be looked for in Italy.
Growth form: Crustose
Substrata: rocks
Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia
Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual
Pioneer species
Predictive model
Growth form: Crustose
Substrata: rocks
Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia
Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual
Pioneer species
Predictive model
