LICHALP

Acarospora complanata H. Magn

Syn.: ?Acarospora crozalsii B. de Lesd.

Lichenised. Poorly known taxon.

Substrate: siliceous rocks

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: this species was described from France, on basaltic rocks, and has a southern distribution in Europe, extending to North Africa; it has been also reported from North America. It belongs to a difficult complex of closely related taxa, which is in need of revision. Its ecology is poorly understood as well, the species being most frequent on base-rich siliceous rocks.