LICHALP

Catillaria contristans (Nyl.) Zahlbr.

Syn.: Bacidia dufourii (Ach. ex Nyl.) Lettau, Biatora hypocyanea (Stirt.) Zahlbr., Biatorina contristans (Nyl.) Arnold, Bilimbia dufourii Ach. ex Nyl., Catillaria dufourii (Ach ex Nyl.) Vain., Lecidea contristans Nyl., Lecidea dufourii Ach. ex Nyl., Lecidea hypocyanea Stirt.

Lichenised.

Substrate: acidic soil (mostly on siliceous substrata),

Altitudinal range: from the montane belt (potential vegetation: deciduous forests dominated by Fagus sylvatica and closed coniferous forests with Picea abies) to the alpine belt (potential vegetation: treeless Alpine grasslands and tundras, to the lower limit of perennial snow and the equilibrium line of glaciers)

Note: on dead bryophytes (Andreaea, Grimmia) and soil rich in humus over acid siliceous rocks in upland areas; apparently rare in the Alps, but perhaps overlooked.