Verrucaria elaeomelaena (A. Massal.) Arnold

Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, 18: 958, 1868. Basionym: Lithocia eleaomelaena A. Massal. - Atti Ist. Ven. Sc. Lett. Arti, ser. 3, 2: 380, 1856.
Synonyms: Verrucaria davosiensis Zschacke; Verrucaria degenerascens Nyl. ex A.L. Sm.; Verrucaria jurana Zschacke
Distribution: N - Ven (Lazzarin 2000b, Nascimbene & Nimis 2007, Nascimbene 2008, 2008c, Nascimbene & al. 2008b, 2009), TAA (Nascimbene & al. 2007b, 2022). C - Tosc, Sar (TSB 18724).
Description: Thallus crustose, episubstratic, continuous or (rarely) weakly cracked, smooth, subgelatinous when wet, 20-150 μm thick, greenish-grey to grey in shade forms, pale to dark brown in sun-forms, sometimes delimited by a thin, whitish prothallus. Cortex poorly developed; medulla not differentiated or sometimes forming a 5-75 μm thick, pigmented basal layer. Perithecia black, (0.2-)0.4-1.2 mm in diam., numerous (36-113/cm2) distinctly to weakly projecting, usually almost completely covered with a thin thalline layer. Involucrellum 17-25 μm thick, of very variable extension, from apical to reaching base-level; exciple 0.2-0.35 mm across, the wall colourless or brownish in upper part, always colourless at base, with a transparent area between exciple base and the basal part of involucrellum; hamathecium of (18-)20-25(-40) μm long periphysoids, interascal filaments absent; hymenial gel hemiamyloid, I+ red (I+ blue at very low concentrations of I), K/I+ blue. Asci 8-spored, pyriform to obovate, I-, fissitunicate, the wall thickened above, with an ocular chamber, dehiscent by extrusion of an endotunica to form a delicate rostrum, Verrucaria-type. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, broadly ellipsoid to ovoid, (18-)23-28(-32) x (9.5-)12-14(-16) μm, 1.6-2.1(-2.3) as long as wide, when young often with a distinct gelatinous sheath. Photobiont chlorococcoid, the cells arranged in vertical rows. Spot tests: K-, C-, KC-, P-, UV-. Chemistry: without lichen substances.
Note: a cool-temperate to boreal-montane, perhaps circumpolar species, almost perennially submerged in cold montane to alpine creeks, emerging only in very shaded situations; perhaps more widespread in the Alps. In Northern Europe this name was often used for V. funckii. According to Thüs (in litt.), based on the currently available data from north of the Alps, V. elaeomelaena s.str. appears to be restricted to limestone, but it cannot be separated by morphology alone from several other unnamed lineages which grow on calcareous and siliceous substrata alike, especially in deep shade. As there is no sequenced material yet of V. elaeomelaena s.str. from Italy, I adopt a wide concept of the species, including also silicicolous samples.
Growth form: Crustose
Substrata: rocks
Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia
Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual
Periodically submerged (e.g. in creeks)

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

Alpine belt: very rare
Subalpine belt: rare
Oromediterranean belt: very rare
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 CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 41190



P.L. Nimis; Owner: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste
Herbarium: TSB (34463)
2002/01/15



P.L.Nimis; Owner: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste
Herbarium: TSB (36802)
2008.02.25



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



Juri Nascimbene - CC BY-SA 4.0
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige



P.L. Nimis; Owner: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste
Herbarium: TSB (34463)
2002/01/15



P.L. Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 41190



P.L. Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 41190



P.L. Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0
TSB 41190


Walter Obermayer CC BY-SA 4.0 - Source: Lichens of Noricum - http://lichens-of-noricum.uni-graz.at/


Walter Obermayer CC BY-SA 4.0 - Source: Lichens of Noricum - http://lichens-of-noricum.uni-graz.at/



Felix Schumm - CC BY-SA 4.0
[ABL77844], Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bodoquena, along Salubre river, along river on shale. 20°46’´56'' S, 56°44’33'' W, 210 m. Leg. A. Aptroot (no 77844), 7.11.2018, det. A. Aptroot, 2019. - Spores hyaline, simple, 25 x 1 μm.



Felix Schumm - CC BY-SA 4.0
[ABL77844], Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bodoquena, along Salubre river, along river on shale. 20°46’´56'' S, 56°44’33'' W, 210 m. Leg. A. Aptroot (no 77844), 7.11.2018, det. A. Aptroot, 2019. - Spores hyaline, simple, 25 x 1 μm.



Source: Thüs H., Orange A., Gueidan C., Pykälä J., Ruberti C., Lo Schiavo F. & Nascimbene, J. (2015) Phytotaxa 197(3): 161-185 Revision of the Verrucaria elaeomelaena species complex and morphologically similar freshwater lichens (Verrucariaceae, Ascomycota).
Cross-section of a perithecium of Verrucaria elaeomelaena (isolectotype BM). Scale bar: 50 μm



Source: Thüs H., Orange A., Gueidan C., Pykälä J., Ruberti C., Lo Schiavo F. & Nascimbene, J. (2015) Phytotaxa 197(3): 161-185 Revision of the Verrucaria elaeomelaena species complex and morphologically similar freshwater lichens (Verrucariaceae, Ascomycota).
Thallus of Verrucaria elaeomelaena (isolectotype BM). Scale bar: 5 mm


Zschacke, H. (1934) Epigloeaceae, Verrucariaceae und Dermatocarpaceae. In: Dr. L. Rabenhorst‘s Kryptogamen-Flora, Band 9, Abt. 1, Teil 1. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig, 695 pp. - Public Domain


Source: Servít M. 1954a. Lichenes familiae Verrucariacearum. Prag, 249 pp.