Lecanora intricatoides M. Bertrand & Cl. Roux

in Roux & al., Bull. Soc. linn. Provence, 73: 93, 2022
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Distribution:
Description: Thallus crustose, thinly episubstratic, often poorly evident as largely hidden by apothecia, granulose or areolate, yellowish white, forming 0.4-2 cm wide patches. Areoles/granules round to polygonal, flattened, (0.05-)0.1-0.6 mm wide, 0.1-0.2 mm thick, most evident at the periphery of thallus, with blackish flanks. Cortex 40-50 μm thick, with a 13-22 μm thick epinecral layer filled with small and large crystals, and a 28-37 μm thick plectenchymatous layer divided into 2 sub-layers: an upper, brownish yellow layer with small yellowish crystals and usually larger colourless crystals soluble in N and in K, and a lower colourless layer devoid of, or poor in crystals; algal layer interrupted; medulla 50-120 μm thick, the hyphae surrounded by a few large, colourless crystals soluble in N, insoluble in K. Apothecia lecanorine, (0.2-)0.4-0.9(-1.1) mm across, round or deformed by mutual compression, sometimes confluent, at first adnate then sessile and constricted at base, with a dark grey-green to green-black, at first slightly concave, then flat disc and a 0.1-0.15(-0.2) mm thick, smooth and somehow glossy, finally often wavy and thinner thalline margin. Thalline exciple rather thick, corticate, the cortex with the same types of crystals as the thallus; proper exciple colourless, 60-80 μm thick in upper part, the hyphae with a fan-like arrangement, with an upper, paraplectenchymatous part rich in small yellowish crystals insoluble in N and soluble in K, and larger colourless crystals soluble in N, insoluble in K, and a prosoplectenchymatous lower part with small colourless crystals soluble in N. Epithecium yellowish brown, 10-15 μm high, with many small, yellowish crystals insoluble in N and soluble in K, and a few small, colourless crystals soluble in N and insoluble in K, N+ purple; hymenium colourless, 30-40 μm high, I+ blue; paraphyses simple or sparingly branched and anastomosing, 1.5-2 μm thick at base, the apical cells 3-4.5 μm wide; subhyménium colourless, 35-55 μm high, without crystals; hypothecium colourless, 15-30 μm high, I-. Asci 8-spored, clavate, Lecanora-type. Ascospores 1-celled, hyaline, ellipsoid, (8-)9-12(-13.5) x (4.5)5-6.5(-7) μm, thin-walled. Pycnidia unknown. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: cortex and apothecia (disc and margin) K+ yellow, C-, KC+ yellow, P-; medulla K-, C-, KC-, P-. Chemistry: unknown, probably usnic acid.
Note: a recently-described silicicolous species found on horizontal to vertical surfaces, with optimum in the subalpine belt. Known from the Maritime Alps (France), to be looked for in Italy.
Growth form: Crustose
Substrata: rocks
Photobiont: green algae other than Trentepohlia
Reproductive strategy: mainly sexual

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Poleotolerance:

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Predictive model

Source: Roux C., Bertrand M., Poumarat S., Uriac P. 2022. Quelques espèces nouvelles saxicoles – calcifuges de Lecanora du groupe polytropa (Ascomycota, Lecanoraceae) découvertes en France. Bull. Soc. linn. Provence, 73: 79-120.