Bellemerea alpina has a pale whitish to creamy grey areolate thallus on a black prothallus. Apothecia are partly immersed in the thallus, brown when wet and almost black when dry. From other species of the genus, it is easily distinguished by a red KOH reaction (due to norstictic acid).
Its distribution range is circumpolar and arctic-alpine. It is common, e.g., in the siliceous Alps. The species prefers less exposed sites with long-lasting snow cover in high mountains. It grows on humid siliceous rocks, mainly in stone fields, boulder screes, individual rocks in snow patches, near springs and streams, etc. In the Czech Republic, B. alpina is rare in the Krkonoše and Jeseníky Mts and there are historical records from the Králický Sněžník Mts, too.
taxonomic classification:Ascomycota → Lecanoromycetes → Lecanorales → Lecideaceae → Bellemerea
Red List (Liška & Palice 2010):NT – near threatened
Red List (Malíček 2023):C1 – critically endangered
Occurrence in the Czech Republic
All records: 6, confirmed 2. One click on a selected square displays particular record(s), including their source(s).