Irish lichens

Skyttea nitschkei

Order: Ostropales       Family: Odontotremataceae

Species: Skyttea nitschkei

Lichenicolous fungus, parasitic on Thelotrema lepadinum
Photos: Glengarriff woods, Cork, SW Ireland. Identified by Andy Acton

Clusters of dark brown, urceolate ascomata (fruiting bodies) which usually turn the surrounding host thallus reddish-brown. The apothecia rim has smooth, straight hairs around the central pore and contains two main pigments. Dark reddish pigment most abundant in upper exciple below hairs, K+ bright aeruginose green, lower part of exciple K+ purple. Asci are 8-spored, the spores simple, 8-13 x 2-3(-4) µm.

Only found on the thallus of Thelotrema lepadinum. Scattered records in Ireland, most abundant in old oceanic woodlands.


Skyttea nitschkei

Skyttea nitschkei
Skyttea nitschkei March 2010

All images used are copyright. Please contact me if you find errors.