building a Global Consortium of Bryophytes and Lichens as keystones of cryptobiotic communities
Alyxoria varia
Alyxoria varia(Pers.) Ertz & Tehler
Family: Lecanographaceae
[Alyxoria diaphora (Ach.) Gray, moreAlyxoria notha (Ach.) Gray, Graphis notha (Ach.) Trevis., Graphis varia (Pers.) Branth & Rostr., Lichen nothus Ach., Lichen signatus Ach., Opegrapha chlorina Pers., Opegrapha diaphora (Ach.) Ach., Opegrapha diaphora f. diaphora (Ach.) Ach., Opegrapha diaphora f. herbicola Nyl., Opegrapha diaphora f. signata (Ach.) J. Nowak, Opegrapha diaphora f. tigrina (Ach.) J. Nowak, Opegrapha diaphora var. chlorina (Pers.) H. Olivier, Opegrapha diaphora var. diaphora (Ach.) Ach., Opegrapha diaphora var. mexicana B. de Lesd. ex Ruiz{?}, Opegrapha diaphora var. signata (Ach.) Ach., Opegrapha diaphora var. stellata Sántha, Opegrapha diaphora var. tigrina (Ach.) H. Olivier, Opegrapha diaphora var. tridens (Ach.) H. Olivier, Opegrapha lichenoides Pers., Opegrapha lichenoides f. cerebrina (Erichsen) J. Nowak, Opegrapha lichenoides f. chlorina (Pers.) Erichsen, Opegrapha lichenoides f. lichenoides Pers., Opegrapha lichenoides f. octomera Redinger, Opegrapha lichenoides f. populina (Moug.) Zahlbr., Opegrapha lichenoides var. cerebrina Erichsen, Opegrapha lichenoides var. chlorina (Pers.) Redinger, Opegrapha lichenoides var. lichenoides Pers., Opegrapha lichenoides var. populina (Moug.) Erichsen, Opegrapha lichenoides var. subchondrina Redinger, Opegrapha notha (Ach.) Ach., Opegrapha notha var. notha (Ach.) Ach., Opegrapha notha var. populina Moug., Opegrapha notha var. spaniota Ach., Opegrapha pulicaris (Hoffm.) Schrader, Opegrapha pulicaris f. lutescens (Ach.) Nyl., Opegrapha pulicaris f. minuta (Chevall.) H. Olivier, Opegrapha pulicaris f. phaea (Ach.) H. Olivier, Opegrapha pulicaris f. pollinii (A. Massal.) Redinger, Opegrapha pulicaris f. pulicaris (Hoffm.) Schrad., Opegrapha rimalis Pers. ex Ach., Opegrapha rimalis var. betulina H. Olivier, Opegrapha rimalis var. rimalis Ach., Opegrapha signata (Ach.) Ach., Opegrapha signata var. beta Ach., Opegrapha signata var. signata (Ach.) Ach., Opegrapha signata var. tigrina Ach., Opegrapha tridens Ach., Opegrapha varia Pers., Opegrapha varia f. pulicaris , Opegrapha varia f. varia Pers., Opegrapha varia f. xanthocarpa Zwackh, Opegrapha varia var. chlorina (Pers.) H. Olivier, Opegrapha varia var. diaphora (Ach.) Fr., Opegrapha varia var. glomerulans Müll.Arg., Opegrapha varia var. heterocarpa Müll.Arg., Opegrapha varia var. lichenoides (Pers.) Hepp, Opegrapha varia var. notha (Ach.) Fr., Opegrapha varia var. phaea (Ach.) Rabenh., Opegrapha varia var. pulicaris (Hoffm.) Fr., Opegrapha varia var. rimalis (Ach.) Fr., Opegrapha varia var. varia , Scaphis notha (Ach.) Eschw.]
Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2007. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 3.
Life habit: lichenized Thallus: thin or evanescent, smooth or finely cracked, pale to dark gray Ascomata: 0.2-2.5(-4) x 0.2-0.5 mm, mostly elongate, sometimes oblong or rounded, infrequently branched, scattered or contiguous, sessile; disc a slit frequently broadening in maturity; exciple and/or disc sometimes + grey- or green-pruinose exciple: closed, K- hymenium: 60-80 µm, I+ red; epihymenium brown, K-; paraphysoids: branched, 1-1.5 µm asci: clavate, 50-70 x 15-18 µm (Varia-type) ascospores: 19-31(-33) x 5-6(-7) µm, 4-6(-7)-septate, the central cell distinctly enlarged (Varia-type); perispore hyaline, becoming dark brown when over-matured, 1-2 µm Pycnidia: often white or greenish pruinose conidia: 3-5 x 0.5-1.5 µm, straight or slightly curved Spot tests: thallus K-, C-, KC-, P-, UV- Secondary metabolites: no substances. Substrate and ecology: on neutral, basic, rough, shaded bark, especially of deciduous trees, occasionally on wood or decaying ferns, rare on sheltered limestone or mortar; on Sycamore bark in the Sonoran Desert Region World distribution: Europe, northern Africa, North America Sonoran distribution: California (Santa Barbara Co.) Notes: we have only seen one specimen belonging to this species from the Sonoran Desert Region where it seems thus to be very rare. Other specimens examined from the Sonoran Desert under this name were misidentifications for other Opegrapha species. According to Fink (1935), Opegrapha varia is distributed throughout the United States, but according to the distribution map of Brodo et al. (2001) the species is present in the half east as well as in the northwest of the United States. The description above is based on the literature.