Verrucaria dolomitica (A. Massal.) Kremp., Denkschrft. K. Bayer. Bot. Gesellsch. 4(2): 238, 1861

Pykaelae, Juha, Kantelinen, Annina & Myllys, Leena, 2020, Taxonomy of Verrucaria species characterised by large spores, perithecia leaving pits in the rock and a pale thin thallus in Finland, MycoKeys 72, pp. 43-92 : 43

Verrucaria dolomitica (A. Massal.) Kremp., Denkschrft. K. Bayer. Bot. Gesellsch. 4(2): 238, 1861

Amphoridium dolomiticum A. Massal., Symmict. Lich. 80, 1855. Basionym.

Type.

[Italy,] in op. Giazza ad saxa dolomitica , 1853, A. Massalongo (VER!, syntype); Ad saxa dolomitica in oppido Giazza Prov. Veron. Massal., Massalongo Lichens Ital. Exsiccatae 250 (VER!, syntype).

Description.

Prothallus not seen. Thallus pale greyish-cream, endolithic to thinly epilithic surrounding perithecia, slightly rimose, thalli bordered by a blackish-brown line. Perithecia 0.26-0.53 mm, (1/2-)3/4-immersed, leaving deep pits in the rock; 70-100 perithecia/cm2. Ostiole, pale, plane or depressed, ca. 40-150 mm wide. Involucrellum apical, 50-80 mm thick. Exciple 0.24-0.42 mm in diam., wall medium brown to blackish-brown, pale in one studied perithecium. Periphysoids ca. 40-50 × 2 mm. Ascospores 0-septate, 26-37 × 11-18 mm.

Notes.

Verrucaria dolomitica and V. foveolata have been treated as separate taxa because of the presence (in the former) or absence (in the latter) of an apical involucrellum ( Breuss 2004). Verrucaria dolomitica was reported as new to Finland by Pykälä (2010b). However, the Finnish specimens with and without an apical involucrellum have identical ITS sequences or the sequences differ only by a few bases. The Finnish specimens originally identified as V. dolomitica are conspecific with V. foveolata and treated as such in Stenroos et al. (2016). The Finnish specimens identified as V. dolomitica usually have endolithic thalli and no dark lines have been observed between thalli. The syntypes of V. dolomitica studied have a partly epilithic thin thallus bordered by a dark line. Furthermore, the perithecia are larger than in the Finnish specimens. Thus, V. dolomitica is apparently distinct from V. foveolata , but V. dolomitica does not occur in Finland.