| TAXON: | Variospora flavescens (Huds.) Arup, Frödén & Søchting (2013) |
| RECENT SYNONYMS: | Caloplaca flavescens (Huds.) J.R. Laundon (1984); Klauderuiella flavescens (Huds.) S.Y. Kondr. & Hur. (2017) |
| FAMILY: | Teloschistaceae |
| GROWTH FORM: | Crustose, heteromerous |
| SUBSTRATES: | Calcareous stone, especially limestone, concrete, cement, mortar |
| PHOTOBIONT: | Trebouxioid alga |
| REPRODUCTION: | Apothecia, pycnidia |
| ASCUS: | Clavate; apex Teloschistes-type; 8 spores |
| SPORES: | Ascospores lemon-shaped, polarilocular, 12-15 × 8-10 µm, with septum to 5 µm; conidia bacilliform |
| NOTABLE FEATURES: | Thallus yellow to yellow-orange, circular, often white in centre as older tissue dies away, sometimes arc-shaped when centre falls out; thallus margin placodioid; lobes convex, narrow, sometimes overlapping, sometimes pruinose; apothecia lecanorine, abundant, clustered in centre and away from lobe edges; discs orange |
| CHEMICAL TESTS: | Thallus K+ crimson-purple, UV+ red (parietin) |
| HABITAT: | Wherever suitable substrate available, including urban areas |
| DISTRIBUTION: | Widespread and common in England and Wales, but less commonly recorded in formerly sulphur-polluted industrial areas |
| CONSERVATION STATUS: | Least Concern |
| LICHENICOLOUS FUNGI: | Endococcus sp., Intralichen cf. christiansenii, Lichenodiplis lecanorae, Muellerella lichenicola, Verruculopsis flavescentaria, Weddellomyces epicallopisma |
| IDENTIFICATION DIFFICULTY: | Green 2: Field identification possible with care |
| CONFUSION SPECIES: | Calogaya pusilla, Variospora aurantia |
FIELD NOTES
To be added.
LAB NOTES
Variospora flavescens can be identified without microscopy.
SPECIMENS
Variospora flavescens : England : VC54 North Lincolnshire : SK9771 : October 2025 : On mortared limestone wall : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Variospora flavescens : England : VC20 Hertfordshire : TL3510 : March 2025 : On limestone colonnade : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Variospora flavescens : England : VC21 Middlesex : TQ2680 : March 2025 : On concrete : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Variospora flavescens : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3389 : September 2022 : On limestone gravestone : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
Variospora flavescens : England : VC25 East Suffolk : TM3389 : June 2022 : On limestone gravestone : © Anthony Speca : CC BY-SA 4.0
