Peccania fontqueriana
There are a lot of these cyanobacterial, microfruticose lichens, but they are often overlooked since they are so smol and obscure. And because of that, we are really lacking photos of them available online. Finding these pics of P. fontqueriana felt a bit like finding a goldmine (thank you Pier Luigi Nimis and Manuel Gil) ! This little gelatinous lichen grows on basic soil and other lichens in arid regions of the Mediterranean and Macaronesia. It is black when dry and dark olive-brown when moist, with forked, cylindrical lobes that grow in compact cushions 1-3 mm wide and 1-2 mm tall. It's apothecia are lecanorine, concolorous with the thallus, and only 0.3-0.8 mm in diameter. Unless you know what you are looking for and are trying really hard to find it (down in the dirt with your hand lens out) you would totally miss this dude in the field. A real pity when he is so adorable, and also an important member of the biological soil crust community, which help to stabilize and enrich soils in harsh environments. P. fontqueriana is out there just doing his best despite being so very small and deserves our adoration!
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