Biodiversity
Australian Biological Resources Study
Biodiversity
Australian Biological Resources Study
| 1 | Thallus growing on the living leaves of forest trees | V. inquilina |
| 1: | Thallus growing on rock, rarely on soil, or parasitic on rock-inhabiting lichens | 2 |
| 2 | Thallus growing on soil | 3 |
| 2: | Thallus growing directly on rock, or parasitic on rock-inhabiting lichens | 4 |
| 3 (2) | Thallus grey-green; perithecia 0.11–0.25 mm diam., lacking an involucrellum; ascospores 11–20 × 4.5–7.5 µm | V. solicola |
| 3: | Thallus olive-green to greenish black; perithecia 0.2–0.4 (–0.5) mm diam., with a well-developed involucrellum; ascospores 18–30 × 8–15 µm | V. nigrescens |
| 4 (2:) | Thallus parasitic on rock-inhabiting lichens | 5 |
| 4: | Thallus growing directly on rock | 6 |
| 5 (4:) | Thallus pale to medium greenish grey; ascospores 13–20 × 7–12 µm | V. buelliicola |
| 5: | Thallus olive-green to black, not grey; ascospores 8–13 × 8–11 µm | V. compacta |
| 6 (5:) | Thallus growing on aquatic or semi-aquatic rocks in freshwater habitats, or on seashore rocks | 7 |
| 6: | Thallus growing in terrestrial habitats, not on aquatic, semi-aquatic or seashore rocks | 32 |
| 7 (6) | Thallus growing on aquatic or semi-aquatic rocks in freshwater habitats | 8 |
| 7 | Thallus growing on seashore rocks | 22 |
| 8 (7) | Ascospores 6–15 µm long | 9 |
| 8: | Most or all ascospores more than 15 µm long | 12 |
| 9 (8) | Thallus minutely but abundantly black-dotted (especially distinct when the thallus is wetted) | V. rheitrophila |
| 9: | Thallus not black-dotted | 10 |
| 10 (9:) | Perithecia 0.19–0.33 mm diam. | V. cootapatambensis |
| 10: | Perithecia 0.1–0.2 mm diam. | 11 |
| 11 (10:) | Perithecia almost completely immersed in the thallus, with plane to slightly convex, pale to medium brown apices; ascospores 6–10.5 µm wide; thallus pale greyish green to grass-green, 40–70 µm thick | V. tasmanica |
| 11: | Perithecia superficial, with rounded, uniformly black apices; ascospores 3.5–7.5 µm wide; thallus medium green to greenish black, 15–40 µm thick | V. mundula |
| 12 (8:) | Ascospores 12–24 (–27) µm long | 13 |
| 12: | Ascospores 18–35 (–47) µm long | 19 |
| 13 (12) | Thallus off-white to pale grey-green, 60–200 µm thick | V. praetermissa |
| 13: | Thallus medium to dark grey-green, or dark reddish brown, or ±black; if paler, then the thallus 20–60 µm thick | 14 |
| 14 (13:) | Thallus minutely but abundantly black-dotted (especially distinct when the thallus is wetted); perithecia 0.3–0.8 mm diam. | V. puncticulata |
| 14: | Thallus not black-dotted; perithecia rarely larger than 0.5 mm diam. | 15 |
| 15 (14:) | Ascospores 9–15 µm wide | 16 |
| 15: | Ascospores 5–10 (–12) µm wide | 17 |
| 16 (15) | Perithecia prominent, semi-immersed to almost superficial, 0.25–0.42 mm diam.; lower half often with a thin thalline covering; thallus predominantly green | V. subtholocarpa |
| 16: | Perithecia not prominent, semi-immersed and almost completely overgrown by the thallus to almost completely immersed, 0.3–0.55 mm diam.; thallus shades of brown | V. aethiobola |
| 17 (15:) | Involucrellum 60–120 µm thick; thallus (80–) 100–180 (–400) µm thick | V. inconstans |
| 17: | Involucrellum 30–50 µm thick; thallus 20–120 µm thick | 18 |
| 18 (17:) | Involucrellum 0.16–0.27 mm diam., ±contiguous with the exciple; thallus (40–) 60–80 (–120) µm thick; algae 7–20 × 7–16 µm | V. phaeoderma |
| 18: | Involucrellum 0.2–0.5 mm diam., often diverging from the exciple; thallus 20–40 (–60) µm thick; algae 4–9 × 4–7 µm | V. hydrela |
| 19 (12:) | Ascospores 6–12.5 µm wide; perithecia not prominent, almost completely immersed, or overgrown by a thick layer of thallus | 20 |
| 19: | Ascospores (9.5–) 14 (–20) µm wide; perithecia rather prominent | 21 |
| 20 (19) | Thallus superficially brown-black, whitish within; perithecia 0.4–0.7 mm diam., overgrown by the thallus, with a well-developed involucrellum that diverges from the exciple | V. austroalpina |
| 20: | Thallus uniformly greenish black; perithecia 0.2–0.3 mm diam., immersed in the thallus; involucrellum contiguous with and scarcely distinguishable from the exciple | V. funckii |
| 21 (19:) | Involucrellum c. 30–40 µm thick; ascospores 18–34 (–40) µm long; periphyses 18–35 µm long; thallus 20–40 (–60) µm thick, medium to dark grey-green or greenish black | V. margacea |
| 21: | Involucrellum 60–100 µm thick; ascospores 26–47 µm long; periphyses 30–60 µm long; thallus 40–80 (–100) µm thick, pale to medium greenish brown | V. tholocarpa |
| 22 (7:) | Thallus endolithic to epilithic and inconspicuous (and often visible only around perithecia), pale grey-green or pale pinkish grey; supralittoral species | 23 |
| 22: | Thallus epilithic and conspicuous, grey-brown to greenish brown, medium green, olive-green, green-black or black; littoral to supralittoral species | 24 |
| 23 (22) | Perithecia 0.1–0.2 mm diam., semi-immersed to ±completely immersed; involucrellum absent; growing on limestone | V. australiensis |
| 23: | Perithecia 0.4–0.72 mm diam., semi-immersed to almost superficial; involucrellum thick and well-developed; growing on siliceous rock | V. prominula |
| 24 (22:) | Thallus continuous to sparingly rimose; lower to mid-littoral species | 25 |
| 24: | Thallus richly and deeply rimose to areolate; upper littoral to supralittoral species | 29 |
| 25 (24) | Ascospores 10–20 µm long | 26 |
| 25: | Ascospores 6–12 (–13) µm long | 27 |
| 26 (25) | Thallus with sparse to abundant black dots and ridges (especially distinct when the thallus is wetted); ascospores (13–) 16.5 (–20) × 3.5–5 µm; NE Qld | V. corallensis |
| 26: | Thallus lacking black dots and ridges; ascospores 10–16 (–18) × 3.5–6 (–8) µm; SE Australia | V. microsporoides |
| 27 (25:) | Thallus with elongate, simple or branched, carbonaceous ridges; perithecia frequently becoming excavate and irregularly uneven at maturity | V. striatula |
| 27: | Thallus lacking carbonaceous ridges; perithecia remaining ±hemispherical at maturity | 28 |
| 28 (27:) | Perithecia 0.18–0.3 mm diam.; ascospores 4.5–6.5 µm wide | V. halizoa |
| 28: | Perithecia 0.24–0.45 mm diam.; ascospores 5.5–10.5 µm wide | V. meridionalis |
| 29 (24:) | Ascospores 8–15 × 4–7 µm | 30 |
| 29: | Ascospores 12–26 × 6–12 µm | 31 |
| 30 (29) | Perithecia 0.12–0.22 mm diam.; thallus dark olive-green to greenish black | V. subdiscreta |
| 30: | Perithecia 0.22–0.45 mm diam.; thallus grey-brown to medium greenish brown | V. aucklandica |
| 31 (29:) | Thallus medium greenish grey to dark grey-brown; perithecia semi-immersed to almost superficial | V. fusconigrescens |
| 31: | Thallus dark grey-green to greenish black; perithecia ±completely immersed in the thallus to semi-immersed; if prominent, then partly or almost completely overgrown by a thick layer of thallus | V. maura |
| 32 (6:) | Thallus endolithic to thinly subepilithic, generally inconspicuous, usually continuous, occasionally faintly rimose, whitish, pale grey or with faint greenish or brownish tones | 33 |
| 32: | Thallus epilithic and thin to thick, usually conspicuous and rimose to areolate, off-white, grey, greenish, brown or blackish | 39 |
| 33 (32) | Perithecia almost completely immersed in the substratum; involucrellum absent, or vestigial and visible only as a slight thickening around the perithecial apex | 34 |
| 33: | Perithecia semi-immersed to almost superficial; involucrellum well-developed, extending mid-way down or to the base of the exciple, or almost completely enclosing the exciple | 36 |
| 34 (33) | Perithecia 0.1–0.2 mm diam.; ascospores 7.5–14 × 4–7 µm | V. australiensis |
| 34: | Perithecia 0.2–0.8 mm diam.; ascospores usually much larger | 35 |
| 35 (34:) | Perithecia 0.2–0.3 (–0.4) mm diam.; ascospores 13–24 × 7–13 µm | V. calciseda |
| 35: | Perithecia 0.3–0.6 (–0.8) mm diam.; ascospores 20–48 × 10–25 µm | V. hochstetteri |
| 36 (33:) | Perithecia 0.2–0.31 mm diam.; ascospores 9.5–16 × 5–7.5 µm | V. tuberculiformis |
| 36: | Perithecia 0.25–0.5 (–0.6) mm diam.; ascospores usually much larger | 37 |
| 37 (36:) | Ascospores 23–37 × 14–21 µm | V. papillosa |
| 37: | Ascospores 12–28 × 5–15 µm | 38 |
| 38 (37:) | Ascospores 12–23 × 5–10 µm; perithecial apex plane to deeply concave | V. dufourii |
| 38: | Ascospores 14–28 × 8–15 µm; perithecial apex usually rounded | V. muralis |
| 39 (32:) | Ascospores 8–15 (–20) µm long | 40 |
| 39: | Ascospores 18–39 µm long | 42 |
| 40 (39) | Thallus olive-green to black, not greyish | V. compacta |
| 40: | Thallus pale grey-green to dark grey-brown | 41 |
| 41 (40:) | Perithecia immersed, ±central on areolae; apex usually plane; thallus with a thick, black basal layer | V. fuscella |
| 41: | Perithecia two-thirds immersed or almost superficial, marginal on or between areolae; apex weakly to strongly convex; lhallus lacking a black basal layer | V. minor |
| 42 (39:) | Thallus off-white to pale grey or greenish grey; exciple hyaline to grey-brown, 20–30 µm thick; on siliceous rocks in tropical rainforest | V. pluviosilvestris |
| 42: | Thallus olive-green to greenish black; exciple brown-black, 15–20 µm thick; usually on limestone in open, temperate to arid habitats; less commonly on soil or siliceous rocks | V. nigrescens |