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Membrane Dog Lichen

Peltigera membranacea

Description:

Peltigera is a genus of approximately 91 species of lichenized fungi. Commonly known as the dog lichen, lichens of Peltigera are often terricolous (growing on soil), but can also occur on moss, trees, rocks, and many other substrates in many parts of the world. Many Peltigera species are cyanolichens (having a cyanobacteria symbiont), but some Peltigera spp. have only an algae symbiont, and others have both. Because of their ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, such lichens are influential in soil composition and generation P. Membranacea is a large "dog-lichen" with the upper surface of fresh thallus bluish- to brown-grey, ash-grey when dry, densely felted-tomentose, bullate, lacking isidia; lower surface white-tomentose, with unbranched, "fang-like" rhizines with fine, spreading, "bottle-brush" hyphal terminations (lens needed)

Habitat:

Widespread and often common on mossy boulders, tree-bases and in short, dampish turf, including in lawns and on dunes. This one was found on piled granite stones fence on the side of a small local road.

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300 Exposure Time: 1/4 sec., f/9 ISO 1 EV below 200 Focal Length: 90.0 mm Objective lens: Tamron SP 90 AF f/2.8 72E.

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5 Comments

arlanda
arlanda 12 years ago

Added to Lichens mission

arlanda
arlanda 12 years ago

Maybe you are right, LarsKorb ...

arlanda
arlanda 12 years ago

Thanks Leuba

LarsKorb
LarsKorb 12 years ago

beauty of decay? ^^

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 12 years ago

very nice!

arlanda
Spotted by
arlanda

O Saviñao, Galicia, Spain

Spotted on Dec 31, 2011
Submitted on Jan 10, 2012

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