Bacidina delicata
Thallus pale green to fawn, usually thin, finely granular (sorediose), with granules (goniocysts) (15-)20-35(-50) μm diam. Photobiont chlorococcoid, with cells 5-10(-12) μm diam.
Anamorph: conidiomata pycnidia, ± immersed, white. Conidia 21-40 × ca 1 μm, curved.
Teleomorph: ascomata apothecia, (0.2-)0.3-0.6(-0.7) mm diam., ± flat, marginate, white, beige or orange-pink. Thalline exciple absent. True exciple hyaline, the cells gelatinised with cellular lumina (to 7 μm wide) towards the outer edge and in the lower part. Hymenium 35-50(-55) μm high, hyaline, sometimes with a weakly pigmented gelatinous epithecial layer. Hypothecium hyaline. Interascal tissue of paraphyses 1.5-2 μm diam., unbranched or with a few forked above, the apices often swollen, to 5 μm diam. Asci clavate to cylindrical-clavate, 8-spored. Apical dome K/I+ dark blue with a pale, ± conical apical cushion, wall pale, outer layer dark blue. Ascospores (21-)24-48 × 1-1.5(-2) μm, acicular, the apex acute and the base acuminate, hyaline, 3- to 7-septate, the septa narrow and inconspicuous, without a perispore or gelatinous sheath.
Assessed by Woods & Coppins (2012) as of Least Concern.
Distinguished from Bacidia phacodes by the distinctly granular thallus, larger cellular lumina in the outer exciple and curved conidia. Morphs with small apothecia differ from B. chloroticula in the more numerous paraphyses.
Bacidia adastra has a thicker thallus that is usually bright yellow-green, and apothecia that are usually more strongly pigmented (often dark brown or blueish). B. delicata can sometimes be confused with Lecania cuprea and L. subfuscula in the field, but they have shorter, narrowly fusiform to bacilliform ascospores and usually at least some apothecia with pinkish brown, K± purplish, N+ red pigmentation.
Widely distributed but with a scattered distribution pattern, generally more common in the south. BLS map here.
On shaded substrata, including ± calcareous rock and stonework (often on mosses) and also on basic bark.