Photographic guide to selected lichens of Skellig Michael

Some terms to aid in reading the species descriptions below. Thallus: the main body of the lichens Apothecia: small reproductive structures that often look like jam tarts. Lichenologists often compare the colour of the rim of the apothecia and the colour of the disc as an aid to identification. Foliose: flat and leaf-like Isidia: finger-like asexual reproductive structure.

Name: Anaptychia ciliaris subsp. mamillata Comment: A rare species in Ireland, but locally frequent on Skellig Michael. Conservation Evaluation: Nationally scarce.

Name: Anaptychia runcinata Comment: A foliose lichen that is green when wet (as in the photograph here) and brown when dry. The colour of the rim of the apothecia is the same as the thallus. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern.

Name: Amandinea coniops Comment: Thallus light grey to brown. Apothecia dark brown. A species associated with bird droppings. Abundant on the North and East steps of the island. Conservation Evaluation: Nationally scarce. Maritime indicator species.

Name: Aspicilia leprosescens Comment: Cracked scruffy looking grey/green lichen. A species associated with bird droppings. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern.

Name: Buellia subdisciformis Comment: Whitish brown cracked thallus with a black edge. Apothecia are black and abundant. A species of dryer sheltered rocks. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern.

Name: Caloplaca britannica Comment: An orange to yellow lichen with a lumpy thallus. A species of dry recesses and underhangs. Conservation Evaluation: Nationally rare, International responsibility

Name: Caloplaca arcis (yellow) is a new addition to the Irish lichen flora (2009). It is growing here on an even rarer species, Lecania poeltii, (see below) a new addition to the UK and Irish lichen flora.
Image provided by Robert Thompson .

Name: Caloplaca littorea Comment: Found on silica rich rocks in dry conditions such as those found under large overhanging rocks and cliffs. The dense population of orange finger-like isidia help in its identification. Conservation Evaluation: Nationally scarce

Name: Caloplaca marina Comment: More yellow than orange and with small apothecia especially crowded towards the centre of the thallus. A species of the Orange Supralittoral zone. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Caloplaca thallincola Comment: A bright orange thallus with a distinct finger-like edge. Often found growing over the black tar lichen (Verrucaria). A species of the Orange Supralittoral zone. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Caloplaca verruculifera Comment: A lemon-yellow fingerlike thallus. Apothecia are rare but tiny coral-like isidia are common. Forms near circular patches. Abundant on Skellig Michael and associated with bird manure. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Cladonia foliacea Comment: A bush-like arrangement of tiny plates or squamules, one side of the squamules lighter in colour. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Collema furfuraceum Comment: Sometimes called 'bat wings' the thallus is a dark brown to black membrane-like structure with large characteristic lobes that have prominent ridges. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Dermatocarpon miniatum Comment: The lobes are frequently incised giving a multi-lobed appearance. The surface has a whitish powdery or pruinose texture. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern. Maritime indicator species.

Name: Diploicia canescens Comment: The thallus is white to light grey in colour and frequently takes on a fan-like shape of 40 mm to 55mm radius. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Flavoparmelia caperata Comment: This is a large leafy lichen with a pale yellow/green colour. The lobes range in size from 5 to 13mm and are round at the tips and sometimes with indents. It has a corrugated appearance. . Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Gyalecta jenensis Comment: Reddish orange apothecia found in crevices of highly calcareous rocks indicating a calcareous horizon in this sandstone boulder. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Lecania aipospila Comment: Forms light grey patches on rocks. The central area is lumpy due to papillae or warts. Apothecia are common and sometimes sit on top of the papillae. Conservation Evaluation: Nationally scarce

Name: Lecania poeltii, (with the yellow Caloplaca arcis growing on it) is a new addition to the UK and Irish lichen flora. Lecania poeltii is only know previously from coastal areas of south-western Europe (Portugal) and northern Africa (Morocco and Algeria), (van den Boom et. al. 1996). It was found on the concrete hut near the helipad.
Image provided by Robert Thompson .

Name: Lecanora actophila Comment: The dull white thallus has extensive irregular cracks; the prothallus is white. Apothecia are common with the rim the same colour as the thallus. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Lecanora helicopis Comment: A dirty white to grey cracked thallus with a prominent prothallus. The apothecia have a black disc and a rim similar in colour to the thallus. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Lecanora poliophaea Comment: Thallus is granular grainy and areolate with a white to verdigris colour. The edge is poorly defined with a white to blush prothallus. The areoles are variable in size. Associated with bird manuring sites. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Lecanora sulphurea Comment: A lumpy sulphur green crustose thallus. Apothecia are common and variable in shape. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Lecanora zosterae Comment: Apothecia are thin and flattened with light grey discs and thin thalline margins. Found mainly on dead Sea Thrift stems (Armeria maritima) on very exposed shores. Conservation Evaluation: Nationally scarce

Name: Lecidella meiococca Comment: The thallus is buff yelloworange and granular. Apothecia are dark brown/black. Maritime indicator species. Conservation Evaluation: Nationally scarce

Name: Leprocaulon microscopicum Comment: Watery green in colour and has a powdery or leprose texture. It is covered with minute white granules. Overall the lichen is very fragile and disintegrates when touched. Maritime indicator species. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Lichina confinis Comment: The thallus is dark olivebrown and grows as small compact tufts among seaweeds on the middle to upper shore. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Ochrolechia parella Comment: Thallus and apothecia are white. Forms circular or elongated growths. Likes direct sunlight. Very common shore lichen in Ireland. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Opegrapha calcarea Comment: Black lirellae often piled in stacks (elongated apothecia). Thallus a light pink to grey colour. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Parmotrema perlatum Comment: A leafy or foliose lichen with a grey-green thallus that is loosely attached to branches or rocks. A single specimen can grow to about 15 cm in size. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

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Name: Pertusaria pseudocorallina Comment: The thick or thin thallus is a creamy white colour; generally it is wrinkled and uneven. A distinguishing feature is the tiny peg-like isidia (brown tipped) which are generally scattered across the thallus Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Ramalina chondrina. This Nationally rare RDB Near threatened lichen was found on the east bank near the steps leading from Christs Saddle to the Monastery.

Name: Ramalina cuspidata Comment: The tufted semi-erect strap-like thallus has a shiny creamgrey to ivory colour. The base of the tuft is black. Parts of the strap-like thallus may also become blackened. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

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Name: Ramalina siliquosa Comment: Thallus either erect or pendent. Slightly glossy with warts. Easy to confuse with Ramalina cuspidata. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Solenopsora vulturiensis Comment: The thallus is composed of squamulose lobes. Colour varies from blue-grey-white to olive-green, green becoming prominent when the specimen is wet. Apothecia (black disks) uncommon. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Tephromela atra Comment: Warty white-grey thallus. Lots of apothecia with a black disc and white rim. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

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Name: Toninia aromatica Comment: The thallus is made up of dark grey lumpy squamules. The apothecia are black. Toninia aromatica tends to grow along crevices in rock and often associated with mortar. A Maritime indicator species. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

Name: Xanthoria aureola Comment: A yellow thallus with distinct lobes and thalline apothecia. Also has wrinkled strap-like lobes crossing haphazardly across each other. Apothecia are rare. Conservation Evaluation: Least concern

All photographs copyright of John Douglass and Paul Whelan unless otherwise stated. Reference See www.lichens.ie for further descriptions of Irish lichens.

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