A minute bryophilous lichen with an arctic-alpine to boreal-montane distribution. It prefers humid, usually natural open habitats (screes, humid rock walls). It forms slimy thalli with immersed perithecia. The thallus gives the impression of a free-living green alga. It might be partly true, but the thallus gives a C+ red reaction when dry due to the presence of an unknown secondary metabolite, which is also present in the more common P. corrosa but not in similar P. sphinctrinoidella (Ohmura & Mayrhofer 2016).
Protothelenella sphinctrinoides is sparsely recorded in the Czech Republic and might be partially overlooked. It is mainly known from montane areas – the Krkonoše, Hrubý Jeseník and Šumava Mts in the past and the Lužické hory and Jizerské hory Mts recently. On microclimatically suitable stands, such as cold screes, it may also be found at lower elevation, e.g., the Růžovský vrch hill in the Lužické hory Mts.
Literature: Ohmura Y. & Mayrhofer H. (2016): Protothelenella sphinctrinoides (Protothelenellaceae) new to Japan and new chemical features for several species in the genus. – Herzogia 29: 137–142.
taxonomic classification:Ascomycota → Lecanoromycetes → Ostropales → Protothelenellaceae → Protothelenella
All records: 6, confirmed 2. One click on a selected square displays particular record(s), including their source(s).