Bellemerea alpina
≡Lecanora alpina Sommerf., Suppl. fl. Lappon.: 91 (1826).
Description : Flora (1985: 22).
Chemistry : Thallus K+ yellow→red, C−, KC+ red, Pd+ yellow-orange; containing norstictic acid.
S: Canterbury (Mt Cook summit rocks), Otago (Old Man Ra.). High-alpine on rock. Known also from Scotland, Scandinavia, the European Alps and North America, Australia, and the South Shetland Is (Purvis 1984; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Wirth 1995; Esslinger & Egan 1995; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004; Søchting et al. 2004).
Bipolar
Illustrations : Foucard (1990: fig. 24 – as Aspicilia alpina); Poelt (1994: 275 fig. 1A); Hansen (1995: 77); Lumbsch et al. (2001: 104); Brodo et al. (2001: 175, pl. 129).
Bellemerea alpina is characterised by: the saxicolous habit (high-alpine rocks); the whitish to blue-grey thallus, with a black, marginal prothallus delimiting individual thalli; ±immersed apothecia; and norstictic acid in the medulla.
