It is a relatively rare, terricolous mountain species, microscopically conspicuous by long filamentous ascospores. It usually grows on acidic humid humus, plant debris and on decaying bryophytes on the ground, or on acidic rocks. Sometimes, it occurs directly on a mineral soil. The species was, from the Czech Republic, described twice at the beginning of the 20th century. Firstly, from Mt Violík in the Krkonoše Mountains as Belonia terrigena (Eitner 1911) and secondly from the Petrovy kameny Rocks in the Hrubý Jeseník Mountains as Gongylia macrospora (Suza 1921). Later, the names have been recognised as synonymous (Vězda 1970). Its link to acidic substrates is exceptional, all other terricolous or saxicolous members of the family Gyalectacea are, at least slightly, calciphilous. Additionally, in contrast to other species of the genusGyalecta, where the symbiotic partner is a filamentous trentepohlioid alga, the photobiont of Gyalecta incarnata is a coccal trebouxioid alga. Besides the original localities in the Hrubý Jeseník and Krkonoše Mountains, the species occurs also in the coldest parts of the Šumava Mountains, close to Kvilda (Kocourková-Horáková 1998). Recently, it has repeatedly been confirmed in the highest parts of the Krkonoše Mountains (Halda et al. 2016).
Literature: Eitner E. (1911): Dritter Nachtrag zur schlesischen Flechtenflora. – Jahresbericht der Schlesischen Gesellschaft für Vaterländische Kultur, Abt. Zool.-Bot. Sect., Breslau, 88: 20–60. Suza J. (1921): Čtvrtý příspěvek k lichenologii Moravy. – Sborník Klubu Přírodovědeckého v Brně 3: 1–50. Kocourková-Horáková J. (1998): Records of new, rare or overlooked lichens from the Czech Republic. – Czech Mycology 50: 223–239. Halda J., Kučera J. & Koval Š. (2016): Atlas krkonošských mechorostů, lišejníků a hub 1 – mechorosty a lišejníky. – Vrchlabí: Správa KRNAP. Vězda A. (1970): Neue oder wenig bekannte Flechten in der Tschechoslowakei. I. − Folia Geobotanica et Phytotaxonomica 5: 307−337.
taxonomic classification:Ascomycota → Lecanoromycetes → Ostropales → Gyalectaceae → Gyalecta
most frequented synonyms:Belonia incarnataAll records: 7, confirmed 5. One click on a selected square displays particular record(s), including their source(s).