UK Fungi

Is this Miriquidica leucophaea?

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  • April 26, 2026 at 6:41 pm #33173
    SylviaD
    Participant

      Hi,

      On the Spring meeting I did a few hours in the churchyard of St Lawrence, Appleby. I found this lichen on a sandstone gravestone and I have tentatively IDed it as Miriquidica leucophaea. There was a definite KC pink reaction and the faintest of C pink reactions. Both of these reactions were fleeting. It was K negative. Neither of the descriptions in LGBI3 and Italic 8.0 mention a UV reaction, but the thallus was UV orange.

      The spores were in the correct size range 8-16 x 4-7 um and simple. The hypothecium and hymenium were both colourless, but the hymenium was I+ blue. The epithecium was light brown.

      Am I on the right track – could this be M leucophaea?

      Thank you

      Sylvia

      April 27, 2026 at 4:08 pm #46947
      Paul Cannon
      Participant

        In my limited experience, this looks a good bet. The thallus is exceptionally variable and is sometimes overgrown by superficial algae making it look completely different, but this appears to be an especially neat morph!

        All good wishes

        Paul

        April 27, 2026 at 4:16 pm #46948
        AlanFUSA

          Looks good to me as well.

          I was a bit concerned with the UV+ orange reaction as there’s nothing in the chemical profile of this species that should give that reaction. However, I’ve just put some collections of M. leucophaeae under UV and they mostly had a UV+ yellow reaction of varying intensity. This is probably due to the presence of carotenoids, which don’t show up in regular TLC.

          Alan

          April 27, 2026 at 5:52 pm #46949
          SylviaD
          Participant

            Thank you both, that’s great.

            Not a lichen I’m going to come across in Sussex any time soon, but I think a new record for Appleby St Lawrence churchyard. Interesting about the UV result. I only had tiny amounts of thallus to work with as it was from a churchyard headstone, but definitely orangey tinge.

            Best wishes,

            Sylvia

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