Honeycomb Lichen

Menegazzia terebrata

Menegazzia terebrata is a species of lichen found scattered across the Northern Hemisphere. Recognizable by its inflated thallus with holes in the upper surface and soredia bursting from lobe tips. The thallus is light blue-green-gray with 1-2mm wide rounded lobes, inflated and tube-like, and with distinctive large, round perforations in the upper surface; lower surface black, wrinkled, without root-like attachments (no rhizines), anchoring thallus to the substrate. Sometimes called the Honeycomb Lichen or Keyhole Lichen because of the conspicuous holes in the thallus.
Menegazzia terebrata, a lichen Menegazzia terebrata is a foliose lichen that forms spreading rosettes 10 to 15 cm across. The tips of the lobes are brown but the overall color of the lichen when wet is green. The lobes are swollen and branched palmately. In Minnesota at least it can be found on very old white cedar trees in forests and swamps where the air is humid. It has also been collected from moss-covered rocks in deep river gorges. This individual was found on a large white cedar about 1 meter up. The photo was taken as a light rain was falling. Geotagged,Menegazzia terebrata,Minnesota,Parmeliaceae,Summer,United States,foliose lichen,honeycomb lichen,keyhole lichen,lichen,white cedar

Appearance

Thallus foliose, dorsiventral, forming regular rosettes to 10 cm diam., but often dying in the center. Lobes closely adnate, to 1-1.5 mm wide, rounded at apices, contiguous for much of their length, swollen and hollow inside, grey to greenish grey, often brownish at the ends and along margins, smooth and glossy, with round to oval, dark perforations, and whitish, rounded, more or less stalked soralia. Medulla white, very lax. Lower surface black, wrinkled, without rhizines. Apothecia extremely rare, lecanorine. Asci 8-spored, Lecanora-type. Ascospores 1-celled, ellipsoid, 50-70 x 30-36 µm. Photobiont chlorococcoid. Spot tests: cortex K+ yellow, medulla K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P+ yellow-orange, UV-. Chemistry: cortex with atranorin, medulla with stictic, constitic, menegazziaic acids, and with or without low amounts of norstictic acid.

Naming

Menegazzia terebrata (Hoffm.) A. Massal.
Hypogymnia pertusa (Schaer.) Nyl.
Imbricaria diatrypa (Ach.) DC.
Imbricaria pertusa (Schaer.) Arnold
Lichen diatrypus Ach.
Lobaria terebrata Hoffm.
Menegazzia diatrypa (Ach.) A. Massal.
Menegazzia pertusa f. pertusa (Schaer.) J. Stein
Menegazzia pertusa var. pertusa (Schaer.) J. Stein, Parmelia diatrypea (Ach.) Ach.
Parmelia pertusa Schaer.
Parmelia pertusa f. excelsicola Gyeln.
Parmelia pertusa f. pertusa Schaer.
Parmelia pertusa f. subimpertusa Nyl.
Parmelia pertusa f. ventricosa Hue
Parmelia pertusa var. coskinodes F. Wilson
Parmelia pertusa var. epifusca Gyeln., Parmelia pertusa var. montana F. Wilson
Parmelia pertusa var. nigrilimbata Hillmann
Parmelia pertusa var. pertusa Schaer.
Parmelia sipeana Gyeln.
Physcia diatrypa (Ach.) Gray

Distribution

United States: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Canada: British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Carribean: Dominican Republic, Haiti
Central America: Costa Rica
Europe: Austria, England, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Sweden
Asia: China, Turkey

Habitat

On the bark of coniferous or deciduous trees with a low pH in humid forests with diffuse light to moderate shade. Sometimes on mossy rocks. An indicator species of old or ancient forests.

Reproduction

Mainly asexual, by soredia, or soredia-like structures (e.g. blastidia).

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://dryades.units.it/italic/index.php?procedure=taxonpage&num=1422
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menegazzia_terebrata
https://ohiomosslichen.org/lichen-menegazzia-terebrata/
https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Plants.asp?mode=detail&SpecCode=NLLEC0T010
http://www.irishlichens.ie/pages-lichen/l-88.html
http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?
http://lichenportal.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=54501
Taxonomy
KingdomFungi
DivisionAscomycota
ClassLecanoromycetes
OrderLecanorales
FamilyParmeliaceae
GenusMenegazzia
SpeciesM. terebrata
Photographed in
United States of America