Normandina acroglypta (Norman) Aproot

    Thallus forming a blurry crust covering vaguely its substratum, formed by goniocystis, bright green when moist, grey-greenish when dry ; more or less covered by concolour soralia, or more yellow-greenish, and by soredia, 20-40 µm diam. also concolour to the thallus. Perithecium black, hemispherical, partially immersed into the thallus, 0.2-0.5 mm diam., typically reeled, on fresh thalli, by a crown of goniocystis. Ascospores colourless, elongated and like a shuttle with obtuse ends, (5) 6-7-septed, 25-35 x 6-9 µm according to literature, 28-35 x 6-9 µm according to our measurements. Photobiont : Trebouxia. No significant chemical reaction. Rare (or unremarked?), growing on corticolous bryophytes at the base of old trees (Quercus...) in wet and shady places. N.B. Often found in Normandina pulchella's company.

N.B. Just for curiosity: as shown in pictures, ascospores germinate by both ends, which is characteristic of a reproductive process known as secondary homothallism. In order to be auto-fertile - or compatible to reproduce with any other mate type (MAT1 or MAT2), the ascomycete produces heterocaryotic ascospores which are, in fact, 2 ascospores in one, each of them bearing the idiomorph (i.e. the allele) MAT1 or MAT2 ; this will form a heterothallic thallus if both ascospores find the right partner, or most often another secondary homothallic thallus (i.e. which will produce heterocaryotic ascospores again).*