Finding on some big old red alders near the Stillaguamish River, elevation about 180m, relatively large amount of a Pyrenula which seems best to fit P. laevigata (posting photo in gallery), although ascospores are too large and conidia are too long. As CNALH shows only 2 very old specimens for western North America (both in western WA) I thought it might be of interest.

See in my new Noble The Lichens of the Coastal Douglas-Fir Dry Subzone of British Columbia, “Another Pyrenula is known from the Vancouver area. It differs from P. occidentalis in the uninspersed hymenium, the slightly large spores with end lumina that are separated from the end spore wall by a thickened wall. It is apparently undescribed (Harris, pers. comm..).” Don’t know if anything more was done with that.

Find some photos by Curtis Bjørk of P. laevigata on red alder in OR. Also of P. microtheca on red alder in BC. (Note, for P. laevigata Smith et al. (2009) The Lichens of Great Britain and Ireland has “Pycnidia black”, while  Aptroot, A. 2012. A world key to the species of Anthracothecium and Pyrenula. The Lichenologist. 44(1):5-53 has “pycnidia absent”.) I’ve gone way over my time limit for working on this. Perhaps better to ignore some genera.

Thallus UV seemed negative.
Sorry I can’t be more certain with some of this.
Using a 365nm “Stylus” (never really sure if there might be a faint reaction - intending to look into getting better UV source).
other data:
thallus - immersed, K reacted oddly with yellow slowly appearing below surface
photobiont - trentepohloid
perithecia - ≤ 0.7mm diameter
spores - almost all 3-septate, average 29x12µm, become brown, many shriveled darker brown
conidia - very thin and long (varied greatly, some to 60µm or more)
posting few more photos

Thanks Bruce! It worked perfectly when I keyed backwards from P. acutispora In Aptroot 2012. (“Ascospores with at least one pointed end” fits - posting one more photo.)

Sérusiaux and Coppins 2008 mentions “In SW France, the species seems to be very local and confined to humid valleys and deep gorges in well-preserved localities, but it can be quite common where it grows. Its most important locality is the Gorges of Kakouetta, a deep, narrow and very humid gorge…” which describes Robe Canyon of the Stillaguamish (where I noticed it on several old red alders along the trail) very well.

Regarding specimens reported, CNALH shows 2, from Madeira and the Queen Charlotte Islands. Sérusiaux and Coppins 2008 lists more from BC but none from WA. I couldn’t find more information online, including searching “Recent Literature on Lichens” Wondering if there a relatively simple way unknown to me on finding this kind of information.

Sérusiaux, E. and B. J. Coppins. 2008. Pyrenula acutispora in western Europe, Macaronesia and British Columbia (Canada). Pyrenula acutispora in Westeuropa, Mazedonien und Britisch Kolumbien (Kanada). Sauteria 15:521–528.