Dog Lichen, Peltigera species?

[JennyS]

I think this must be a Dog Lichen, Peltigera species, but beyond that I'm stuck!
Help and suggestions appreciated ........

[poschiavanus]

Certainly is Peltigera: another group best done under the microscope.

The apothecia seem to longer than broad. No obvious soralia or isidia (although there are odd patches with a little lump or too). Thallus smooth, somewhat bullate. Can't really tell if tormentose or not. The rhizines appear to have little tufts at the ends. Veins not obviously different colour from rest of lower surface. The third image has the thallus rather darker and it appears to have a non-smooth surface, so it makes things a little more complicated. Margins of lobes if anything curled down.

My initial reaction was P. hymenina, but looking more closely I can't exclude P. membranacea. These are the common candidates, but there may be others with which I am unfamiliar. This is one its definitely worth collecting part, dry it at home and kept in a envelope or a 'packet' can be looked at later or shown to someone more knowledgeable. The rhizines can be looked at when wet with a hand lens and their structure is much more obvious.

HTH,

posch

[NickCantle]

Blimey Posch, you certainly know your stuff

[poschiavanus]

Oh come on Nick: you know how little I really know about fungi! I'm not much better with lichens. And its amazing how much one can do with the help of a few books by the computer.

I did see a fair few Peltigera and Cladonia species at Kindrogan in the spring, and had the opportunity of keying them out with REAL expert assistance. So at least I have a decent idea of what characters to look for, but I still lack familiarity with many of these in the field, so don't have that jizz thing which you enables you serious fungus folk to do so much with a photo.

In the meantime lichens need all the help they can get on WAB. So I'll do what I can. That might not be much, mind you, as JennyS seems to have a positive cornucopia of lichens in really interesting habitats, many of which are completely absent in the E of the British Isles.

posch

[JennyS]

Hi posch, hope I won't drive you batty as your help is very appreciated!
I'm likely to be posting an awful lot of lichens from here.......warm, moist conditions and clean air.......lichen heaven

I'm wondering if the apparent difference in colour is down to me trying out different settings on a new camera - I'll go back for a sample and compare the colouring from specimens on opposite ends of the rock more closely.

[diggleken]

we get these dog lichen commonly in the pennines so recognise them as such, but oh heck, didnt realise this was so deep . . . . . .
Could be a fungus type journey (never ending) all over again.
Ken

[CapAndBracket]

Originally Posted by diggleken

we get these dog lichen commonly in the pennines so recognise them as such, but oh heck, didnt realise this was so deep . . . . . .
Could be a fungus type journey (never ending) all over again.
Ken

Good call, just what we need during the lull in fungi, when it comes to
microscopy i assume a lot can be seen under a X20 disection scope.
will look for dog lichen tommorow.

Cheers J.P.

[poschiavanus]

I've stuck a couple of Peltigera pictures in the Gallery:

P. praetextata:
P. britannica:

Unfortunately I don't have adequate quality images of the commoner ones. If you have a mossy lawn there may be one or two lurking there!

For any folk already used to ascomycetes, a fertile lichen will be pretty familiar if you get it under a microscope. If you collect the common orange-yellow Xanthoria parietina, and section the apothecia by hand with a razor blade, then you're pretty much looking at the hymenium of an ascomycete. Unlike most other fungi lichens remain fertile for a very long time.

The two simple chemical tests are pretty easy to carry out. Eye dropper bottles from a chemists. Cheap 'thin' bleach for the 'C' test, and 10% Potassium Hydroxide for the 'K' test (try ABFG or Anglian Leps for this chemical). Keep the bottles in a sealed plastic bag in case they leak. The KOH is great to test between Amanita virosa and A. citrina var. alba as well.

posch

[poschiavanus]

The BLS draft key for the new Lichen Flora of the British Isles is available at the BMS site: Pelitgera key.

[CapAndBracket]

Not sure about the conditions of these considering the weather, but maybe they can stand it.



The moss is covering what was a parking area for planes during WW2, so probably quite alkaline (concreate).




X20

Underside of what i would call a leaflet, looks rather like a polyporus fungi !


Cheers J.P.