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Australian Biological Resources Study

Checklist of the Lichens of Australia and its Island Territories
Strigula decipiens (Malme) P.M.McCarthy
  Lichenologist 29: 513 (1997); Porina decipiens Malme, Ark. Bot. 23A(1): 26 (1929). T: Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Santo Angelo, near Cachoeira [do Sul], on damp, shaded basalt and bryophytes, 14 Jan. 1893, G.O.A.Malme 925, 926; syn: S!  
  Thallus crustose, epilithic, determinate, forming rounded colonies to 5 cm diam., continuous to rimose, sometimes peeling from the substratum, moderately glossy towards the margin, otherwise dull, smooth, pale khaki-grey to pale greenish grey (somewhat darker in deep shade), impregated with rock fragments and crystals, 20–50 (–70) µm thick, thinly corticate. Cortex ±prosoplectenchymatous, 9–15 µm thick. Algae Trentepohlia-like; cells broadly ellipsoidal to globose, 6–12 (–15) × 6–9 µm; interstitial hyphae tightly packed, 2–4 µm wide. Prothallus silvery white or not apparent. Perithecia numerous, solitary, occasionally paired, 1/3 immersed to almost entirely immersed in the thallus or overgrown by a thin thalline layer, usually appearing dark greyish brown rather than black. Apex convex to subconical. Ostiole apical, inconspicuous or in a shallow, 40–70 µm wide depression, often considerably paler than the involucrellum. Involucrellum apical or extending mid-way to the base of the excipulum, usually smooth, occasionally delicately and radially rugose, (0.18–) 0.26 (–0.34) mm diam., 30–70 µm thick. Excipulum uniformly hyaline or darkening towards the apex, 10–20 µm thick. Centrum depressed-ovate, 0.15–0.24 mm diam. Subhymenium 20–30 µm deep. Paraphyses persistent, simple to sparingly or, occasionally, richly branched, (1–) 1.5–2 (–2.5) µm thick. Periphyses absent. Asci fissitunicate, 8-spored, narrowly to broadly cylindrical, 52–88 × 9–15 µm; contents IKI+ red-brown; walls IKI-; lateral walls c. 1 µm thick at maturity; apical dome 2–5 µm thick; ocular chamber hemispherical, tubercular or conical, 1–2 µm broad and tall. Ascospores colourless, 5–7-septate, fusiform, elongate-cylindrical or irregularly curved or slightly sigmoidal, often tapering towards the proximal end and markedly constricted at the primary septum, uniformly thin-walled, irregularly or obliquely biseriate in the ascus, (15.5–) 22 (–28.5) × (4.5–) 6 (–8.5) µm; contents clear to coarsely granular. Conidiomata absent to numerous, semi-immersed, brown-black above, colourless below, 40–80 µm diam. Conidia fusiform to bacilliform, 2–3 (–4) × 0.5–1 µm. Macroconidia not seen.
  Occurs on damp shaded basalt in Lord Howe Is.; also in Brazil.  
  McCarthy (1997b)  

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