Lynge B 1930. Lichens from Novaya Zemlya. In Holtedahl O. Report of the Scientific Results of the Norwegian Expedition to Novaya Zemlya 1921. Oslo. 1-299.
Thallus orbicular, diam. ca. 10 mm., grey, moderately thick, areolate-rimose, areolae granular-verrucose. Thallus surrounded by thin, almost concolourous hypothallus. Gonidia green, diam. 10-13 µ, membrane thin.
Apothecia dispersed, 0.5-0.7 mm., sessile, appressed, rounded; disc plane, black, epruinose, margin concolourous, persistently surrounding disc. Excipulum violet-black, almost carbonized; hypothecium entirely black. Hymenium (45-) 50-55 µ, olive-black above. Paraphyses loosely coherent, undivided, strongly different, clavate or capitate-thick, articulate, apex becoming black, different thinnesses (young?), pale coloured or dark heads. Spores not halonate, completely hyaline, septate, septa sometimes very slightly constricted, 10-11 X 4-4.5 µ.
Medulla J ÷, hymenium J blue soon blood red-wine, also the asci; medulla KOH ÷, excipulum KOH more violet-coloured.
The description will show its near affinity to Catillaria subalpina TH. FRIES Lich. Scand. II (1874) pag. 583. But I have ventured to describe it as a new species on account of the following facts:
1)The spore difference. I have measured the spores of several apothecia and I have found the spore size constant. I have also controlled TH. FRIES’s measures on the type plant in our herb. And found the same spore size as he found: 12-18 X 6-7 µ (usually about 16 µ long). In addition the spores of Catillaria subalpina are broader (more rounded) at their tips.
2)Catillaria subalpina has a much higher hymenium, I have measured 80-85 µ, and it is smaragdine and not olive-black at its upper part.
The disc of the apothecia is persistently plane in my plant, but in Catillaria subalpina it becomes +/- convex. The granular thallus of Catillaria Holtedahlii is well developed. But the difference is supposed to be with the limits of a normal variation.