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Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)

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120 BRIAN JOHN COPPINS<br />

always with numerous dark brown (K± olivaceous tinge, HN03± reddish tinge) vertical<br />

streaks. Asci cylindrical-clavate or clavate, 20-35x7-9 /xm. Spores ovoid, oblong-ellipsoid or<br />

oblong-ovoid, straight or slightly curved, 0-l(-3)-septate, 8-13(-16)x 2-3-3 •7(-4) /xm. Paraphyses<br />

ra<strong>the</strong>r scanty, <strong>of</strong> two types: p.p. evenly distributed, flexuose, simple or sparingly<br />

branched, sometimes anastomosing, thin, 0-7-1 fxm wide, sometimes widening above to 1 -7 /^m,<br />

walls hyaline throughout; p.p. fasciculate, simple or sparingly branched, stout, c. 2-2-5 /xm<br />

wide, sometimes widening above to 3-5 ixm, coated ± throughout by dark brown pigment.<br />

Hypo<strong>the</strong>cium c. 60-120 /xm tall, dark reddish brown, K- or dulling, HNO3- or red tinge<br />

slightly intensifying; hyphae coated with dark brown pigment, c. 2-3 /xm wide, interwoven but<br />

becoming vertically orientated towards <strong>the</strong> hymenium and sometimes continuing into it as stout,<br />

fasciculate, pigmented paraphyses; ascogenous hyphae similarly pigmented, with short, swollen<br />

cells to 5 /xm wide. Excipulum indistinct, sometimes evident in young apo<strong>the</strong>cia as a reflexed<br />

reddish brown zone concolorous with, or sHghtly paler than, <strong>the</strong> hypo<strong>the</strong>cium; hyphae radiat-<br />

ing, branched and anastomosing, c. 1-1-5 /xm wide, <strong>the</strong>ir walls sometimes with a thin coating <strong>of</strong><br />

brown pigment.<br />

Pycnidia always present and numerous, sessile or, more usually, distinctly stalked, black,<br />

50-400 /xm tall (including stalk) and 40-90 /xm diam; stalks simple, or branched and bearing up<br />

to six pycnidia; <strong>the</strong> 'stalk-part' below <strong>the</strong> current conidia-producing pycnidia <strong>of</strong>ten includes old<br />

pycnidia (see Fig. 35); <strong>the</strong> stalk and pycnidia are usually black but in extreme shade forms <strong>the</strong><br />

stalk tissue may be ± colourless, contrasting with <strong>the</strong> dark brown or blackish, current and old<br />

pycnidia. In microscope preparations (at x400): pycnidiophore tissue dilute to dark fuscous or<br />

reddish brown, K- or dulling, HNO3- or red tinge slightly intensifying; pycnidial wall dark<br />

greenish brown, K- or K-l- green intensifying HN03-(- red. Conidiogenous cells ± cylindrical or<br />

elongate ampuUiform, <strong>of</strong>ten with swollen base which is thickened with brownish pigment, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />

with one or two percurrent proliferations, 3-5-7-5 x 1-1-4 /xm, base sometimes swollen to 2-5 /xm<br />

wide. Conidia (mesoconidia) ± cylindrical, <strong>of</strong>ten biguttulate, sometimes slightly constricted in<br />

<strong>the</strong> middle, 3-5-4-8x1-1-5 /xm.<br />

Chemistry: Thallus K— , C—<br />

detected by t. I.e.<br />

, PD—<br />

; sections <strong>of</strong> apo<strong>the</strong>cia and thallus C— ; no substances<br />

Observations: Micarea botryoides is easily recognised by its numerous, black, stalked<br />

pycnidia, whose walls are dark greenish brown (K- or K-l- green intensifying), and its normal<br />

occurrence on substrate o<strong>the</strong>r than hgnum. It is very similar to <strong>the</strong> rare M. melaeniza, but that<br />

species has shorter conidia, smaller, simple spores, and is apparently confined to lignum. M.<br />

misella <strong>of</strong>ten has stalked, black pycnidia, but is usually hgnicolous. However, it does occasionally<br />

occur on decaying bryophytes where it could be confused with M. botryoides. In such<br />

instances <strong>the</strong>ir separation is easy because <strong>the</strong> pycnidia <strong>of</strong> M. misella contain an olivaceous or dull<br />

brownish pigment that turns violet in K. When on rock <strong>the</strong> apo<strong>the</strong>cia <strong>of</strong> M. botryoides could be<br />

confused with those <strong>of</strong> M. lutulata, but <strong>the</strong> latter species has smaller, simple spores, a<br />

non-micareoid phycobiont, and immersed pycnidia. When on s<strong>of</strong>t lignum it should be compared<br />

with M. nigella which is superficially identical, but has a purple-brown (K-l- green) pigment in its<br />

apo<strong>the</strong>cia and pycnidia.<br />

Sterile forms <strong>of</strong> M. botryoides have puzzled lichenologists for many years, being dismissed<br />

with such remarks as 'indeterminate pycnidia' or 'fungus'. In 1867 Leighton distributed sterile<br />

material <strong>of</strong> M. botryoides in his exsiccate (no. 388), as ' Lecidea sabuletorum var. milliaria (Fr.),<br />

spermagonia', evidently believing it to be <strong>the</strong> pycnidial state oi Micarea lignaria, <strong>the</strong> apo<strong>the</strong>cia<br />

<strong>of</strong> which occur on some <strong>of</strong> his specimens . The<br />

identity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se pycnidia remained a mystery until<br />

my discovery <strong>of</strong> fertile material in Scotland in 1976 and my subsequent examination <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> type<br />

material <strong>of</strong> Lecidea apochroeella var. botryoides in 1979.<br />

Habitat and distribution: M. botryoides is usually found as a constituent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Micareetum<br />

sylvicolae in dry underhangs, growing on solid rock, loose stones, consolidated soil, tree roots,<br />

and loose mats ot moribund bryophytes; but it also occurs on rock, stones, and decaying<br />

bryophytes in wetter shaded situations. There are a few collections made from <strong>the</strong> s<strong>of</strong>t.

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