Rhizocarpon hochstetteri has a characteristic continuous cracked to slightly areolate grey to red-brown thallus. The medulla is I-. The black apothecia are usually flat, or only slightly convex, with 1-septate hyaline halonate spores.
The species is distributed all over the northern hemisphere, mainly in Eurasia. It grows from submontane to alpine areas, at humid and shaded places, often at seepage tracks. It prefers damp bases of siliceous rock and boulder screes with a long-lasting snow cover. In the Czech Republic, it is currently known from the Jizerské hory, Krkonoše, Šumava, Králický Sněžník and Hrubý Jeseník Mts.
Literature: Nimis P. L., Hafellner J., Roux C., Clerc P., Mayrhofer H., Martellos S. & Bilovitz P. O. (2018): The lichens of the Alps – an annotated checklist. – Mycokeys 31: 1–634. Thomson J. W. (1997): American Arctic lichens. 2. The Microlichens. – The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison.
taxonomic classification:Ascomycota → Lecanoromycetes → Rhizocarpales → Rhizocarpaceae → Rhizocarpon
Red List (Liška & Palice 2010):NT – near threatened
Red List (Malíček 2023):C2 – strongly endangered
Occurrence in the Czech Republic
All records: 42, confirmed 3. One click on a selected square displays particular record(s), including their source(s).