Hafellner, J 2004: A further evolutionary lineage to lichenicolous growth in Physciaceae (Lecanorales). - In: Dobbeler, P/Rambold, G (eds.): Contributions to Lichenology. Festschrift in Honour of Hannes Hertel. 180-181.

For a description of the apothecia see HAFELLNER (1979: 50, sub Buellia adjuncta).  Apothecia concave to flat, up to 0.5 mm diam; apothecia sitting on the host thallus, without any visible own thallus.  Asci with amyloid tholus. Ascospores 14-18 X 6-9 µm, without internal wall thickenings, 2-celled.  On coastal lichens.  Obligately Lichenicolous on Lecanora straminea in northern Europe and northern North America.  (Ref.:  HAFELLNER 1979: 50; RAMBOLD & TRIEBEL 1992: 93; FOUCARD et al. 2002: 13)

Pycnidia common and interspersed with the apothecia, visible as black dots and resembling a lichenicolous pyrenomycete or a primordium of an apothecium, protruding only with the ostiolar region, pycnidial wall ca. 20 µm and dark brown in the ostiolar region, basally almost hyaline; conidiophores of type II according to VOBIS (1980); conidiogenous cells flask-shaped, 6-12 X 3-4 µm; conidiogenesis terminal, phialidic; conidia filiform, slightly curved to arcuate 15-20 X 1 µm.

Hosts:  Lecanora straminea; Rinodina olivaceobrunnea (ALSTRUP & HAWKSWORTH 1990: 20).

Distribution:  Europe:  Norway (e.g. HAFELLNER 1979; SANTESSON 1993; FOUCARD et al. 2002); Icleand (FOUCARD et al. 2002); Denmark (Faroes) (ALSTRUP et al. 1994).—North America:  U.S.A. (Alaska) (ESSLINGER & EGAN 1995); ?Greenland (ALSTRUP & HAWKSWORTH 1990).

Ecology.  Amandinea adjuncta does not form its own thallus but it is evidently a parasymbiont living as lichenicolous fungus (endokapylic lichen) on the thallus of the host lichen.  It is a specific inhabitant of Lecanora straminea, a species known from coastal rocks in northern Europe, Scotland and North America (SANTESSON 1993; HAWKSWORTH & DALBY 1992; ESSLINGER 1997-2002).  However, it was also recorded as inhabitant of Rinodina olivaceobrunnea (ALSTRUP & HAWKSWORTH 1990: 20, sub Buellia adjuncta), but the identity of this record would be worth checking again with care.

Notes:  The species was treated in some detail by HAFELLNER (1979) and FOUCARD et al. (2002).  However, pycnidia were not studied by these authors and therefore the true generic position of the species remained undetected.

The host lichen Lecanora straminea also has filiform conidia but pycnidia of the Lecanora exhibit an ostiolar region that is pale brownish from above and in longitudinal section the pycnidial wall is hardly pigmented throughout.