Ochrolechia androgyna forme corticole

    Thallus rather thin, wrinkled to verrucose, warts rounded, whitish to slightly yellowish, grey-yellowish, greyish often tinged pink, more or less covered with piles of rounded and convex soralia, grey-yellowish, grey-greenish, potentially covering almost entirely the thallus (although not frequently), prothallus whitish sometimes edged with pink-ochre. Most often sterile, but apothecia may be observed and then, to 2-4 mm diam., disc flat, brown-orange, exciple sorediate. Ascospores simple, ovoid, 30-45 x 12-20 µm. Thallus usually: C+ carmine, K-, KC+ red, Pd-. Photobiont: Chlorococcoid. Not especially maritime, on acid barks and mosses of trunks of deciduous trees.

_ See also Pertusaria hemisphaerica of which only the soredia are C+ red and the thallus greyer.

N.B. Recent studies suggest that at least 4 taxa can be distinguished on the ground of different chemotypes and soralia aspects. However, until more precise studies confirm these results we limit our presentation here to a basic distinction according to substrata: corticolous taxa, Ochrolechia androgyna f. corticola and saxicolous taxa, Ochrolechia androgyna taxon saxicole maritime and Ochrolechia androgyna forme terricole locally abundant on siliceous rocks (or nearby) near the seashore. We hypothesize that they are different and may deserve the rank of variety or species until further molecular studies allow a more definite ranking.