LECANORA.] LECAXO-LECIDEET. 393 



57. L. leucospeirea Kyi. Flora, 1 868, p. 473. Thallus thinly 

 squamulose, white, opaque, the squamules subcrenate, adnate, 

 scattered, often granuliform (K , CaCl ). Apothecia. plane, 

 brown, subopaque, the thalline margin entire, white; spores oblong 

 or ovoideo-obloug, 1-septate, 0,011-13 mm. long, about 0,0035 mm. 

 thick ; paraphyses slender, yellow-infuscate at the apices ; hymenial 

 gelatine bluish, then violet-coloured, with iodine. Cromb. Lich. 

 Brit. p. 48 ; Leight. Lich. PI. p. 227, ed. 3, p. 218. 



Allied to var. j8 of the preceding species, with which it agrees in the 

 spermogones and other analytical characters, but differs in the white, 

 scattered, little developed thallus and in the form of the smaller spores. 

 Nylander says that it may be only a subspecies of L. holophtea, which in 

 some habitats may readily pass into dissimilar secondary types. The 

 fragmentary specimen seen is but sparingly fertile. 



Jfab. On gravelly soil in a maritime district. Distr. Very rare in one 

 of the Channel Islands. B. M. : Boulay Bay, Island of Jersey. 



58. L. Ralfsii Cromb. Grevillea, ii. (1873) p. 13. Thallus sub- 

 determinate, thin, continuous or slightly rimulose, frequently 

 rimoso-subcolliculose, smooth, leaden-grey or dark olive-green (K , 

 CaCl ) ; hypothallus dark. Apothecia rather small or minute, 

 biatoroid, sessile, somewhat prominent, plane, brownish or dark- 

 reddish-brown, the margin thin, at length excluded ; spores oblongo- 

 ellipsoid, often slightly constricted in the middle, 0,0] 8-23 mm. 

 long, 0,006-9 mm. thick; paraphyses discrete or subdiscrete, jointed, 

 brownish at the apices ; hymenial gelatine bluish, then violet- 

 coloured, with iodine. Leight. Lich. Fl. ed. 3, p. 220 (excl. syn. 

 L. actcea). Lecidea Ralfsii Salw. Ann. Penzance Nat. Hist. Soc. ii. 

 (1853) p. 144. Biatorina Muddii (Salw.), Mudd, Man. p. 178. 

 Lettdea Muddii Cromb. Lich. Brit. p. 37; Leight. Lich. Fl. p. 315. 

 Lecanora jejuna Kyi. Flora, 1875, p. 442 ; Cromb. Grevillea, iv. 

 p. 181. Lecidea subdiluta Leight. Trans. Linn. Soc. Bot. i. p. 145. 

 t. 22. figs. 13-16 ; Lich. Fl. ed. 3, p. 340. Brit. Exs. : Larb. Lich] 

 Hb. nos. 134, 346. 



A species hitherto not well understood, as may be inferred from the 

 variety of synonyms, originating in slight differences of the thallus and 

 apothecia which depend upon age or habitat. In general appearance of 

 the thallus, as noticed by Nylander /. c., it approaches L. gibbosa, and in 

 that of the apothecia it is subsimilar to Lecidea coarctata. From the 

 presence of gonidia in the margin of Hhe apothecia and from the structure 

 of the spermogones, it is a true Lecanora of this section. It often grows 

 associated with L. prosechoides and is usually well fertile. The spermo- 

 gones are frequent, with spermatia ellipsoideo-oblong 0,002 mm. long, 

 0,0000 mm. thick. 



Hab. On granitic and schistose rocks in maritime tracts, Distr. Local 

 in the Channel Islands, S.W. and N.W. England, the S.W. Highlands 

 and N.E. Scotland, and in N.W. Ireland. B.iM. : Boulay Bay, Island of 

 Jersey. Scilly Islands, the Lizard and near Penzance, Cornwall ; Barrow- 

 mouth, Cumberland. Barcaldine, Argyleshire ; Bay of Nigg, Kincardine- 

 shire. Killery Bay, Connemara, co. Galway. 



