| TAXON: | Ochrolechia parella (L.) A. Massal. (1852) |
| RECENT SYNONYMS: | – |
| FAMILY: | Ochrolechiaceae |
| GROWTH FORM: | Crustose, heteromerous |
| SUBSTRATES: | Siliceous or slightly basic rock, including worked stone, brick, slate, etc |
| PHOTOBIONT: | Chloroccocoid alga |
| REPRODUCTION: | Apothecia and pycnidia |
| ASCUS: | Broadly cylindrical; thick, amyloid walls; Pertusaria-type with no apical structures; 2-8 spores |
| SPORES: | Ascospores broadly ellipsoidal, 45-65(-88) × 25-40(-50) µm; conidia cylindrical-elongate |
| NOTABLE FEATURES: | Variable in form but thallus generally white, grey-white or creamy-white, sometimes smooth but also warted or cracked, often with zoned margin and white prothallus; apothecia lecanorine, typically abundant and sometimes very crowded; thalline margins urn-like when young, but always thick and persistent; discs pink-brown, covered with dense, white, granular pruina |
| CHEMICAL TESTS: | Thallus C± yellow, KC+ yellow, UV± slight blue (variolaric acid); apothecial disc C+ red, KC+ red (gyrophoric acid); medulla of apothecial thalline margins KC± pink (alectoronic acid) |
| HABITAT: | Wide ecological amplitude |
| DISTRIBUTION: | Common and widespread in Britain wherever suitable substrate exists |
| CONSERVATION STATUS: | Least Concern |
| LICHENICOLOUS FUNGI: | Pronectria sp., Rhizocarpon ochrolechiae, Sclerococcum parellaria, Sphaerellothecium araneosum |
| IDENTIFICATION DIFFICULTY: | Green 1: Field identification possible |
| CONFUSION SPECIES: | – |
FIELD NOTES
To be added.
LAB NOTES
Ochrolechia parella can be identified without microscopy.
SPECIMENS
Ochrolechia parella : Scotland : VC97 West Inverness-shire : NM6591 : August 2025 : On siliceous outcrop : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Ochrolechia parella : Scotland : VC98 Argyll : NR7993 : August 2024 : On siliceous boulder : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Ochrolechia parella : Scotland : VC101 Kintyre : NR7372 : August 2024 : On siliceous boulder : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Ochrolechia parella : Scotland : VC101 kintyre : NR8868 : August 2023 : On siliceous boulder : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Ochrolechia parella : Scotland : VC101 Kintyre : NR7372 : August 2023 : On siliceous boulders : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Ochrolechia parella : Scotland : VC98 Argyll : NR7993 : August 2023 : On siliceous outcrop : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Ramalina siliquosa : Scotland : VC101 Kintyre : NR7074 : August 2023 : On siliceous boulder : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Ochrolechia parella : Scotland : VC101 Kintyre : NR7074 : July 2023 : On siliceous outcrop : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Ochrolechia parella : Scotland : VC98 Argyll : NR8297 : August 2022 : On northwest face of siliceous standing stone : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Ochrolechia parella : Scotland : VC101 Kintyre : NR6974 : July 2022 : On siliceous outcrop : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
