Gyalecta carneola
Thallus crustose, superficial, whitish-grey, green-grey or brownish, thin, effuse. Photobiont Trentepohlia.
Anamorph: conidiomata pycnidia, rare; inconspicuous, immersed, ca 100 µm diam., reddish brown, the wall pale red-brown above, hyaline below. Conidiogenous cells elongate-ampulliform, arising in groups on short-branched conidiophores, proliferating percurrently. Conidia 12-20 × ca 1 μm, filiform, curved, aseptate, hyaline, thin-walled.
Teleomorph: ascomata apothecia, numerous, scattered, rarely contiguous, gelatinous and ± translucent when wet, concave, red- or orange-brown, at first immersed in the thallus, then erumpent and sometimes with an apparent crenulate, pale thalline exciple formed from elements of the thallus that may be persistent. True exciple dark brown, True exciple well-developed, of narrow, thin, compacted hyphae, the outer edge red-brown, pale within, often containing crystals. Epithecium well-developed, fleshy, red-brown. Hymenium I+ pale blue (mainly ascus walls). Interascal tissue of pseudoparaphyses, initially attached at each end, mostly unbranched, filiform, septate, ± hooked at the tips. Asci 75-100 x 15-25 µm, saccate, fairly thin-walled, the wall K/I+ blue, not or only slightly thickened at the apex and without internal apical structures, (8-) 16- to 48-spored. Ascospores arraged in a fascicle, not helically coiled, 38-80 (-85) × 3-5 (-6) μm, acicular to very narrowly fusiform, straight or somewhat curved or flexuose, with sharp-pointed ends, 9- to 15-septate, hyaline, thin-walled, without an epispore or gelatinous sheath.
Chemistry: no lichen products detected by TLC.
Assessed by Woods & Coppins as of Least Concern.
From Kent and Cornwall northwards to Ross & Nairn, absent or very rare in NE & C England and E Anglia, rare in Ireland. BLS map here.
On bark of mature to old broad-leaved trees, mostly in ancient woodlands or parklands, mainly on sheltered, moderately well-lit, often mossy, bark in open patches in the Lobarion. In W Scotland, also on Corylus in Graphidion communities; an ancient woodland indicator.