Irish lichens

Thelopsis rubella

Order: Ostropales       Family: Incertae sedis

Species: Thelopsis rubella

Growth type crustose. Identification by Andy Acton
Photos: Glengarriff woods, Co. Cork, SW Ireland.

Thin, waxy thallus, grey, grey-green or brownish. Reddish-brown perithecia become orange and +/- gelatinous when wet. Asci 100-150 spored, spores mainly 3-septate, 12-16 x 4-8 µm, ends rounded.

Short-lived, most abundant in winter and early spring in shallow cracks and rain tracks on the trunks of mature broad-leaved trees. Often found in association with the liverwort Metzgeria furcata. An 'Old forest' indicator species.

Similar: Pachyphiale carneola


Thelopsis rubella
Thelopsis rubella April 2010

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