TYPE. GERMANY. Bayern, Oberbayern: Haspelmoor bei Hattenhofen an der Bahnlinie zwischen Maisach und Mering, westlich Fürstenfeldbruck, 530 m, über Rohhumus, 29.VIII.1982, Döbbeler, G. & P. Döbbeler 4640 (M M0023659, holotype).

Description. Life form. Uncertain; fungus growing in algal films.

Thallus inapparent; hyphae immersed in gelatinous algal films; possible photobiont chlorococcoid (Coccomyxa-type). Ascomata perithecoid, globose, sometimes flattened at apex, blackish green or bluish gray, 75-150 μm diam., surrounded by thin, hyaline, gelatinous sheath; ostiole often outlined by a dark ring. Excipular wall dark green surrounding ostiole, hyaline below; ostiole 20-50 μm diam.; paraphyses thin, unbranched. Asci cylindrical-clavate, 45-70 x 9-12 μm, 32-spored; ascospores hyaline, narrowly ellipsoid, 2-celled, not constricted at septum, 6.5-9 x 2-3 μm, ends rounded.

Chemistry. Ascus wall euamyloid (I+ and K/I+ blue); no lichen substances detected.

Substrate and Habitat. Growing over bryophytes and other substrata in various moist habitats.

Distribution. Europe and North America; in North Carolina found in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont ecoregions.

Literature

Buck, W.R. & R.C. Harris (2002) Epigloea (Epigloeaceae) new to North America. Evansia 19(3): 83-84.

McCune, B. (2020) Epigloea diversispora, a new possibly lichenized ascomycete from Oregon, with a key to the world species. The Bryologist 123(3): 534-540. 

Nimis P.L. (2022). ITALIC - The Information System on Italian Lichens. Version 7.0. University of Trieste, Dept. of Biology, (https://dryades.units.it/italic), accessed on 2022-12-28.