Enterographa pitardii (B. de Lesd.) Redinger

    Thallus crustose, 1-4 cm diam., often forming spreading mosaics extended to large surfaces, thickness variable, designing an irregular humpy coating, smooth at first, then rimose and finally strongly rimose-areolate, even to warted from the center, greyish at first then lead-grey to dark brownish, brown-bronze or chocolate with purple glints, prothallus thin, black, conspicuous in mosaics. Apothecia numerous, immersed at the center of areoles, rounded, ellipsoid to lirelliform, occasionally branched, 0.1-0.2 x 0.07-0.1 mm, dark brown to black. Pycnidia black, punctiform. Ascospores fusiform, 4-6-septate, 27-35 x 3-5 µm. Photobiont: Trentepohlia. Chemical spot tests negative. Rare, on siliceous rocks or dry and well protected vertical walls near the seashores (walls of chapels) most often with the Sclerophytetum circumscriptae species. Not to confuse with Enterographa crassa (very rare on rocks) and Enterographa hutchinsiae of which the thallus is not areolate, and growing on damper rocks. N.B. Intermediate specimen exist between Enterographa pitardii of which the thallus is cracked and grows on dry walls close to the seashores and Enterographa hutchinsiae with a smooth thallus and apothecia margins whitish or yellow-greenish on damp walls. N.B. This species is subjected to various interpretations and here we follow the British authors interpretation that fits perfectly to our observations. However, a different one is commonly adopted by Mediterranean authors who suggest synonymy with Schismatomma pitardii (de Lesd.) Egea & Torrente, corticolous and 3-septate. Additional research is required to clarify this issue.