A boreal Melanohalea species, in Europe considered a glacial relict, occurring mainly in relic habitats, such as raised and transitional bogs or boulder screes. It grows typically on birch bark, on trunks, branches and twigs (here together with Cetraria sepincola). It may be accompanied by the very similar M. septentrionalis, which, however, partly differs in ecology. Melanohalea olivacea used to be relatively often reported from peatbogs and road surroundings in the Šumava Mts in the past. Only isolated occurrences are known from elsewhere in Bohemia (e.g. from Třeboň, the Blatná region and the Hřebeny uplands). There is no data from Moravia. In Silesia the lichen was found only near Rejvíz in the Jeseníky Mountains. However, all data on this species require revision, as most of it probably belongs to M. septentrionalis (Wirth & Türk 1973). Older records may refer to other members of the genera Melanelixia or Melanohalea. Melanohalea olivacea disappeared from the country in the second half of the 20th century and is currently considered extinct in the Czech Republic.
From similar M. septentrionalis, it differs in larger thallus, larger apothecia absent at lobe margins, and slightly larger spores (7–9 × 12–15 µm).
Literature: Ahti T. (1966): Parmelia olivacea and the allied non-isidiate and non-sorediate corticolous lichens in the northern hemisphere. – Acta Botanica Fennica 70: 1–68. Hilitzer A. (1924): Enumeratio critica Parmeliacearum Bohemiae. – Annales Mycologici 22: 219–229. Suza J. (1938): Einige Wichtige Flechtenarten der Hochmoore im Böhmischen Massiv und in den Westkarpaten. – Věstník Královské české společnosti nauk 1937/5: 1–33. Wirth V. & Türk R. (1973): Über Standort Verbreitung und Soziologie der borealen Flechten Cetraria sepincola (Ehrh.) Ach. und Parmelia olivacea s. ampl. in Mitteleuropa. – Veröffentlichungen der Landesstelle für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege Baden-Württemberg 41: 88–117.
taxonomic classification:Ascomycota → Lecanoromycetes → Lecanorales → Parmeliaceae → Melanohalea
most frequented synonyms:Melanelia olivaceaRed List (Liška & Palice 2010):RE – extinct
Red List (Malíček 2023):A – no recent data
Occurrence in the Czech Republic
All records: 9, confirmed 1. One click on a selected square displays particular record(s), including their source(s).