Lichen: Lecidella meiococca
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Name: Lecidella meiococca (Nyl.) Leuckert & Hertel in Leuckert, Knoph & Hertel (1990)
Pronunciation: Lecidella meiococca
Conservation Evaluation: Least Concern, Nationally Scarce.
Lecidella meiococca. Photo taken on Skellig Michael, 2009 - J Douglass.
Body Type: Crustose
VC Map Lecidella meiococca
Description: The thallus is buff yellow-orange and is thin to thick depending on the degree of budding of propagules (blastidia) on the thallus surface. A dark prothallus may be present if it abuts against other crustose lichens. Apothecia are few and scattered and are generally less than 1 mm in diameter. They differ in colour from the thallus, being almost black with a thin rim. The discs are flat to slightly convex.
Chemical Tests: K+ yellow, C+ orange.
Nature Notes: A coastal species found on silica-rich hard rock exposed to direct sunlight. Easily confused with Lecidella asema which has a coarser thallus than L. meiococca.
Vice county distribution map: See Map
Link: Map this species on the Lichen Survey
Other species recorded in Ireland:
- Lecidella anomaloides (A.Massal.) Hertel & H.Kilias
- Lecidella carpathica Körb.
- Lecidella elaeochroma (Ach.) M.Choisy [21]
- Lecidella elaeochroma f. elaeochroma
- Lecidella elaeochroma forma soralifera (Erichsen) D.Hawksw.Lecidella scabra (Taylor) Hertel & Leuckert
- Lecidella stigmatea (Ach.) Hertel & Leuckert
- Lecidella viridans (Flot.) Körb.
Text and images © Paul Whelan, 2009.