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Lecanora help suggestions

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  • February 12, 2022 at 2:38 pm #32307
    Warwickshire-Lad
    Participant

      Prior to going out for a walk I had read Mark Powell’s post of 6 Feb on the BLS twitter feed. First thing I spotted was the lichen below on the South face of a tree on an isolated driveway. Smooth barked tree with lichen at chest height. Even although a bit out of my depth I thought I would give it a go to see if it matched L.compallen, expallens or barkmaniana from Mark’s post.

      The first three photos are on-site and the last from a small sample I took to test at home with K & C.

      My thoughts are:-

      No visible warts on the thallus perimeter more just thin and white but very wide spread.

      Colour is very light green with tiny flecks of yellow.

      Tested K- so made a fresh C but this also tested -ve (see last photo).

      Therefore based on the tests alone it could be L.compallens but not sure as no visible edge warts.

      Gone through my Dobsons to see if it could be another species but I knew this would not be easy as at limit of my experience so far but would be keen to know the species or potential options just to draw a line under this one.

      February 12, 2022 at 5:37 pm #44662
      Mark Powell
      Participant

        Another species to consider is Fuscidea lightfootii. Although this is most often recognised when it forms warted pustules (mushy peas), it often grows in a more sorediate form. Here are the two morphs growing together.

        Fuscid ligh4137a.jpg

        [attachment=2]Fuscid ligh4137a.jpg[/attachment]
        Perhaps the easiest way to decide whether or not your lichen is F. lightfootii is if you have a UV (365 nm) source. The medulla gives a really intense UV+ white fluorescence.

        DOrrUZmX4AASu3b.jpeg

        [attachment=1]DOrrUZmX4AASu3b.jpeg[/attachment]
        The genus Fuscidea also contains a different photobiont to Lecanora, the cells dividing by binary fission and often appearing in pairs or quads (rather than each cell dividing into a cluster of daughter cells).

        DoWX2p2XkAETQRu.jpeg

        [attachment=0]DoWX2p2XkAETQRu.jpeg[/attachment]
        I am not confirming your lichen as F. lightfootii but offering another suggestion to consider, one that is quite common on smooth bark.

        Mark

        February 13, 2022 at 12:18 pm #44663
        Warwickshire-Lad
        Participant

          Mark many thanks for your thoughts and that is a much better match. I had to be honest convinced myself Lecanora was not correct. What had thrown me was I had only found tiny patches of F.lightfootii on small branches to date and always with the sunken dark Apothecia. I reviewed my photographs again and found what looks like old tiny small patches with Apothecia. The Apothecia are missing from the left hand one. Other photographs are too indistinct but seem to show other such older

          locations.

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