Northwest Lichenologists

Phylliscum and Verrucaria??

  • 04 Jun 2015 10:41 AM
    Message # 3375207

    Request opinions on 2 specimens on acid rock in open near Snoqualmie Pass, WA, ca. 900m elevation (_DRO0524 | near Snoqualmie Pass I think the rock is contact… | Flickr - Photo Sharing!). Thinking the 1st, which more or less covered several square meters, is Phylliscum demangeonii. Difficulty seeing it as umbilicate. Also the rock didn’t appear as if it were wetted except from rain or snow. Affirmative for me included pointed tips of asci and spores 10x5µm, some “appearing 1-septate by plasma bridges”. (Wondering if this is one more example of something quite common once noticed.) Photos: #1 habit (note incipient effigurate. margin at bottom of right image, bar = 1mm) (left image slightly different scale) #2  section and spores. 2nd specimen possibly a Verrucaria. Photos: #3 habit (scale for right image in mm). #4 section - couldn’t find asci or spores.

  • 05 Jun 2015 8:26 AM
    Reply # 3376469 on 3375207
    Bruce McCune (Administrator)

    Richard, I think the Phylliscum may be ok, but the general color in the photo is rather brown, and Phylliscum is usually closer to black. Also the photobiont sheaths are often reddish, rather than yellow as in your photo. So perhaps it is something else. The section of the squamule does suggest it might be minutely umbilicate.


    On the other one -- I would guess that is an incipient apothecium of Aspicilia. Infuse a little HCl under the coverslip and see if it turns greener. Unless you can find spores and/or spermatia, it will be tough to name.



  • 06 Jun 2015 5:39 PM
    Reply # 3377791 on 3375207

    Thanks Bruce. Your help is much appreciated. Looking at the specimen I'd say its rather darker and less brown than it appears in the photo, sort of dark charcoal with a bit of brown. (I tend to over-lighten very dark lichen photos for detail to show more easily.) So I will leave it as Phylliscum for now. (Went back to my slide and photographed an entire section, which does show a stipe. - photo attached)


    Now that you mention it, the 2nd one does look like an Aspicilia. Couldn't find spores. Not having HCL I tried HNO3. Didn't see green, although my color vision is not very good. - photo attached) 

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