LICHALP

Melaspilea tyroliensis Szatala

Lichenised. Poorly known taxon.

Substrate: siliceous rocks

Altitudinal range: from the subalpine belt (potential vegetation: open, taiga-like forests dominated by Larix decidua and/or Pinus cembra and Rhododendron) 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: thallus thin, with white maculiform soralia, apothecia lirelliform, sessile, simple to trifurcate, to 1 mm long and 0.1-0.2 mm wide, with an entire excipulum. a 70-80 µm tall non-inspersed hymenium reacting I+ red, and 1-septate, first hyaline, then brownish ascospores clearly constricted in the middle (13-15 × 6-8 µm); known only from the type collection (Mt. Margola), on syenite