ECOLOGY II 



What is known of the habitat ecology of the various antarctic Pyrenocarp lichens is summarized in 

 the following table : 



I. Terrestrial species: 



(a) Non-hydrophilous species: Verrticaria famelica (nitvophilous),^ Thelidiimi inaeqiiale,^ Th. parvuin,^ Microglaena 



antarctica (nitrophilous), Dermatocarpon lachneum, Mastodia tesselata (nitrophilous). 

 (6) Hydrophilous species: 



i. Nitrophilous species. Verrucaria elaeoplaca, V. Racovitzae, V. cylindrophora. 



ii. Non-nitrophilous species. Staurothele gelida, Dermatocarpon intestiniforme. 



II. Marine species: 



(a) Species of the lower Hygrohaline (salt-spray zone). Verrucaria ceuthocarpa, V. dispartita, V. tnaura, 



V. tesselatula. 

 {b) Species of the upper Hydrohaline (intertidal zone): Verrucaria tnicrospora, V. mucosa, V. psychrophila. 

 (c) Species of the middle Hydrohaline (below the lowest ebb tide level): Verrucaria serpidoides. 



SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT 



Order PYRENOCARPEi£ 



Family VERRUCARIACEAE . 



Genus Verrucaria Wiggers, 1780^ 



Key to the species of Graham La7id and adjacent islands 



I a. Excipulum entirely dark brown in section. 



2a. Thallus blackish, thin, filmy, not rimose; continuous or in scattered patches. 



3a. Spores cylindric V. cylindrophora 



36. Spores ellipsoid. 



4a. Perithecia (and usually thallus) minutely scabrid under x 10 lens ... ... ... V. dispartita 



46. Perithecia and thallus smooth, shining ... ... ... V. microspora i. frisiaca 



zb. Thallus rimose or areolate. 



5 a. Thallus black or brown-blackish, finely cracked-areolate ; excipulum about 200/x diam. V. maura 



^b. Thallus glaucous-olivaceous or buff coloured, rimose or reticulate-rimose; excipulum about 



450/X diam. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... V. Racovitzae 



I b. Excipulum colourless in section. 



6 a. Thallus continuous, smooth, effuse or in scattered patches or sometimes almost evanescent, 

 not rimose. 



J a. Perithecia not or hardly prominent above surface of thallus ... ... ... V. mucosa 



jb. Perithecia prominent. 



8 a. Perithecia hemispherical to subglobose, o- 15-0-25 mm. diam. 



ga. Spores 18-20 X7-5-8-0/X ... ... ... ... ... ... ... V.famelica 



gb. Spores 7-12 X 4-5 /x ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... V. microspora 



8b. Perithecia truncate-subconical, 0-30-0-45 mm. diam. ... ... ... ... V . serpuloides 



1 As far as one can judge from the remarks of Skottsberg (1912, p. 6). 

 ^ As far as can be ascertained from the published observations of Siple (1938). 



' In the Ust of species attributed by him to this genus Wiggers does not include any belonging to Verrucaria in the modern 

 delimitation. 



