LICHALP

Verrucaria schindleri Servít

Syn.: Verrucaria hypophaea (J. Steiner & Zahlbr.) Servít, Verrucaria rupestris Schrad. var hypophaea J. Steiner & Zahlbr.

Lichenised. Poorly known taxon.

Substrate: calciferous rocks

Altitudinal range: from the submediterranean/colline belt (potential vegetation: mixed deciduous forests dominated by Quercus and Carpinus) to the subalpine belt (potential vegetation: open, taiga-like forests dominated by Larix decidua and/or Pinus cembra and Rhododendron)

Note: a species of the V. muralis-group, with an endolithic to thin-epilithic, whitish, rimose thallus, ascomata (to 0.3 mm in diam.) partly protruding from the rock, a plane involucrellum (to 0.4 mm broad), and ellipsoid ascospores (to c. 25 µm long); on calcareous stones and boulders in humid situations; rather rare, but perhaps overlooked, throughout Central Europe; with several scattered records from the Alps, from the lowlands to treeline.