Biodiversity & Conservation

A lichen - Verrucaria mucosa - General information


Verrucaria mucosa

Image Harvey Tyler-Walters - Verrucaria mucosa on mid shore rocks. Image width ca 10 cm.
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Distribution map

Verrucaria mucosa recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Verrucaria mucosa is not listed under any importance categories.


General information

Key Icon Researched by: Dr Harvey Tyler-Walters Text page icon Refereed by:

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Ascomycota Sac fungi
Class Ascomycota Sac fungi
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Widely distributed around Britain and Ireland on rocky shores but not recorded from the shores of south east England, probably due to a lack of suitable substrata.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found on well lit rocks from the middle to the lower shore. Rarer on wave sheltered shores.
Text page icon Description A thin, encrusting lichen forming bright bottle-green to dark olive green patches on mid shore to lower shore rocks. The thallus is smooth, oily or slightly irregularly cracked in appearance with a white edge around the margin. The thallus may be up to 30cm across. Small, black fruiting bodies are embedded in the thallus and become slightly raised when dry.

This review can be cited as follows:

Dr Harvey Tyler-Walters 2002. Verrucaria mucosa. A lichen. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 03/09/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=4573>