General:
Common Name: The Mouse Lichens. Reflects the miniature size of the lobes and their dull greyish brown colour.
Small to medium stratified foliose or squamulose lichens, corticate above and below, more or less isidiate, lobes/squamules closely appressed or loosely appressed, elongate or subrotund, averaging to 0.1–1.5 (–2) mm wide, thin. Upper surface medium brown, dull, smooth. Lower surface whitish or brown, bearing scattered brown rhizines. Hypothallus absent. Medulla white. Photobiont blue-green.
Apothecia located near margins, disc reddish brown; spores 2–4-celled, ellipsoid to spindle-shaped, colourless, 8 per ascus.
Over mossy rocks and soil.
Notes: Massalongia is primarily a temperate genus consisting of two species worldwide. Both of these occur in B.C.

Species description:
Hypothallus absent or inconspicuous; lobes scalelike or elongate; habitat and distribution various, but never over bark AND
Upper surface of exposed lobes dark medium brown (never greyish or blackish); lobe tips and “isidia” hard-corticate, never pale-felted; forming loose mats that usually do not completely obscure substrate; spores 2-celled or more AND
Lobes mostly elongate, often averaging to more than 2 mm long, usually more than two times longer than broad; over moss (rare over rock); widespread; frequent

Reactions:
All spot tests negative.

Contents:
No lichen substances reported.

Source:  Lichens of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration By:  Trevor Goward