Solorina spongiosa (Ach.) Anzi, 1862
| Common name | Fringed Chocolate Chip Lichen |
|---|---|
| Code | SOLOSPO |
| Field Characters | Foliose tripartite cephalolichen that can appear crustose. Thalli bowl-shaped, composed of depressed apothecia up to ca. 1.5 cm across, with a narrow thalline rim (sometimes entirely lacking) with green algae, and granular cephalodia with Nostoc on the outside of the apothecia. Blueish to brownish-grey. Medulla white, often visible around the cup margin. No lower cortex. Apothecia reddish-brown, with |
| Similar species |
None in Alberta, but this species may resemble a non-lichenized ascomycete fungi at first glance. |
| Ecology | Terricolous, rare but widespread on exposed mineral soil. Known from sites in the boreal, foothill and mountain regions. |
| Chemistry | No substances detected by TLC (Zheng et al. 2025). |
| Molecular support |
Strong at species level with 9 representatives of the species (Zheng et al. 2025). Recent phylogenetic analyses show this species as sister to S. bispora and part of a larger clade distinct from Solorina s.s. (Zheng et al. 2025). Zheng et al. placed it in the new genus Pseudosolorina. At this time we retain the more inclusive genus concept. |
| Links | |
| Gallery |
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- Solorina spongiosa, Kananaskis Region, AB
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- Solorina spongiosa, elevated wetland plateau, Cardinal Divide Headwaters region, AB
