ITALIC 7.0

Lobothallia alphoplaca (Wahlenb.) Hafellner

Acta Bot. Malacitana, 16, 1: 138, 1991. Basionym: Parmelia alphoplaca Wahlenb. in Ach. - Meth. Lich.: 428, 1803.

Synonyms: Acarospora polycarpa Th. Fr.; Aspicilia alphoplaca (Wahlenb.) Poelt & Leuckert; Lecanora alphoplaca (Wahlenb.) Ach.; Lecanora alphoplaca var. inflata Ach.; Lecanora inflata (Ach.) Jatta; Lecanora melanaspis var. alphoplaca (Wahlenb.) Th. Fr.; Placodium alphoplacum (Wahlenb.) Link; Placodium alphoplacum var. inflatum (Ach.) Arnold; Placodium inflatum (Ach.) A. Massal.; Squamaria alphoplaca (Wahlenb.) Duby; Squamaria alphoplaca f. olivacea Anzi

Distribution: N - Frl, TAA (Watson 2014), Lomb, Piem (Morisi & Sereno 1995, Isocrono & al. 2004, Morisi 2005), VA (Borlandelli & al. 1996, Piervittori & Isocrono 1997, 1999, Watson 2014), Emil (Nascimbene & al. 2021). C - Sar. S - Cal (Puntillo 1996), Si (Merlo 2004b, Puglisi & Cataldo 2019).

Description: Thallus crustose-placodioid, episubstratic, loosely attached, 1.5-5 mm thick, white to cream-coloured, more rarely ash-grey or greyish brown, turning pink in the herbarium, usually epruinose, forming regular or irregular rosettes, areolate in central parts. Central areoles up to 1 mm in diam., discrete, flat to convex, often mixed with elongated lobes; marginal lobes 3-5(-8) mm long, 0.5-1(-1.3) mm wide, contiguous to overlapping, flat to usually strongly convex or almost cylindrical, incised-lobed. Upper cortex paraplectenchymatous, brownish, inspersed with dark brown granules soluble in K, and with coarse hyaline granules insoluble in K, and overlain with a c. 15 µm thick epinecral layer; medulla white, loose to almost hollow, with hyaline granules insoluble in K; lower cortex paraplectenchymatous. Apothecia lecanorine, usually crowded and deformed in thallus center, 0.4-1.5(-2.5) mm across, sessile to somewhat stalked, with a dark reddish brown to black, flat to convex disc, and an entire, raised, 0.2-0.3 mm wide thalline margin. Thalline exciple corticate, 20-40 µm thick; medulla paraplectenchymatous, of thick-walled hyphae, with hyaline, coarse granular crystals insoluble in K; epithecium greenish brown, with superficial hyaline granules insoluble in K; hymenium colourless, 70-80 µm high; paraphyses coherent, c. 2.5 µm thick at mid-level, the upper 3-4 cells submoniliform; hypothecium colourless. Asci 8-spored, oblong-ellipsoid, the thin outer coat K/I+ blue, the wall and apical dome K/I-. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, short-ellipsoid, 11-16 x 5-8(-10) µm. Pycnidia black. Conidia hyaline, bacilliform, aseptate, 4-8 x c. 1 µm. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: thallus K+ yellow turning red, C-, KC-, P+ orange. Chemistry: norstictic and constictic or salazinic acids.

Note: a widespread species with an apparently disjunct distribution in mountain areas of the Northern Hemisphere, found on compact siliceous rocks wetted by rain in upland areas; locally abundant only in the Alps, wherever appropriate substrata are available.

Growth form: Crustose placodiomorph

Substrata: rocks

Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia

Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual

Commonnes-rarity: (info)

Alpine belt: rather rare

Subalpine belt: rare

Oromediterranean belt: very rare

Montane belt: rather 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

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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:

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4

5

6

(info)

Predictive model

Herbarium samples

Index Fungorum GBIF

Ulrich Kirschbaum CC BY-SA 4.0 - Source: https://www.thm.de/lse/ulrich-kirschbaum/flechtenbilder

Austria: Alps. (2000 m) On metamorphic rock (gneiss) in high altitudes

P.L. Nimis CC BY-SA 4.0

TSB 10856

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

Herbarium: TSB (10856)
2001/11/22