A pioneer, rather mountain crustose lichen of calcareous rocks, which forms a thin ochre thallus and dark aspicilioid fruiting bodies with a prominent emerald pigment in cross-section. From the similarly looking Hymenelia and Ionaspis species, it can be most easily distinguished by the presence of asci with an amyloid apical part. As in consequence, Eiglera flavida has been placed in a separate genus and even in a separate family Eigleracea (Hafellner 1984). The latest molecular data has shown that its closest relatives are species with polysporic asci from the family Acarosporaceae (Miadlikowska et al. 2014).
Eiglera flavida is widespread in temperate to cold regions of both hemispheres. It occurs on a variety of calcareous and basic rocks, from pure limestones to silicates enriched in calcium ions and/or rich in minerals. It has been reported also from anthropogenic substrates, such as concrete walls (Halda 2006). This lichen is usually found in mountain areas. In the Czech Republic, it is rarely recorded also at lower elevations on low rocks and small stones in rather humid habitats. However, it does not grow on permanently wet rocks unlike the visually similar Ionaspis and Hymenelia species.
In the Czech Republic, there are several historical data on its occurrence in the Krkonoše Mts and the Broumov region. The published recent records come from the Králický Sněžník and Hrubý Jeseník Mts. There are also unpublished recent records from the Krušné hory Mts (Z. Palice, unpublished). Furthermore, the only Czech record of the mountain calciphilous taxon Hymenelia melanocarpa from Prague's surroundings, published as Ionaspis melanocarpa (Servít 1911), was after the specimen revision assigned to Eiglera flavida (Svoboda et al. 2014). Due to its life strategy and ecology, the species is likely to be locally widespread and perhaps partly overlooked species.
Literature: Servít M. (1911): Zur Flechtenflora Böhmens und Mährens. – Hedwigia 50: 51–85. Hafellner J. (1984): Studien in Richtung einer natürlicheren Gliederung der Sammelfamilien Lecanoraceae und Lecideaeceae. – Beiheft zur Nova Hedwigia 79: 241–371. Halda J. P. (2006): Interesting lichen records from Králický Sněžník Mts. (Glatzer Schneeberg, Czech Republic). – In: Lackovičová A., Guttová A., Lisická E. & Lizoň P. [eds], Central European lichens – diversity and threat, p. 315–323, Mycotaxon Ltd., Ithaca. Svoboda D., Halda J. P., Malíček J., Palice Z., Šoun J. & Vondrák J. (2014): Lišejníky Českého krasu: shrnutí výzkumů a soupis druhů. Lichens of the Český kras. – Bohemia centralis 32: 213–265. Miadlikowska J. et al. (2014): A multigene phylogenetic synthesis for the class Lecanoromycetes (Ascomycota): 1307 fungi representing 1139 infrageneric taxa, 317 genera and 66 families. – Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 79: 132–168.
taxonomic classification:Ascomycota → Lecanoromycetes → Acarosporales → Acarosporaceae → Eiglera
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