A boreal epiphytic lichen occurring in parts of mountain forests with long-lasting snow cover. Its usual substrate is acidic bark at bases of deciduous trees, such as rowans, but it may grow also on bark of conifers or wood of snags. It often associates with members of the genus Biatora. In the Czech Republic, L. betulicola is very rare, recently reported only from the Šumava Mts and historically also from the Krkonoše and Jeseníky Mts. It may resemble Biatora ocelliformis by its blueish-grey fruiting bodies. However, it differs in their more prominent margins, lack of argopsin in the thallus (Pd-) and often more than eight ascospores per ascus.
The oldest documented specimen of L. betulicola from the Czech Republic collected by J. Suza in 1911 in the Jeseníky Mts (Palice 1999) was originally considered B. ocelliformis (Nádvorník 1961, as Lecidea atroviridis). Only recently, L. coriacea, a similar species with a differently pigmented fruiting bodies, to which refers a smaller part of specimens originally identified as L. betulicola, has begun to be distinguished (Holien et al. 2016).
Literature: Nádvorník J. (1961): Příspěvky k lišejníkovému rodu Lecidea (Ach.) Th.Fr. V ČSSR. – Preslia 33: 308–314. Palice Z. (1999): New and noteworthy records of lichens in the Czech Republic. – Preslia 71: 289–336. Holien H., Palice Z., Björk C.R., Goward T. & Spribille T. (2016): Lecidea coriacea sp. nov., a lichen species from oldgrowth boreal and montane forests in Europe and North America. – Herzogia 29: 412–420.
taxonomic classification:Ascomycota → Lecanoromycetes → Lecanorales → Lecideaceae → Lecidea
All records: 7, confirmed 5. One click on a selected square displays particular record(s), including their source(s).