Verrucaria serpuloides is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen belonging to the family Verrucariaceae. It is native to the Antarctic Peninsula. It is one of only two permanently submerged species of lichen, the other being Hydrothyria venosa, and the only one found permanently submerged in a marine environment.[1] Collections of the species were first made in 1944 by Elke Mackenzie.[2]

The species has been discovered living up to 10 m (33 ft) below mean high tide. It creates jet-black patches on the base of submerged rocks. It uses green algae as a symbiont.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ahmadjian, V. (1 March 1995). "Lichens are more important than you think". BioScience. 45 (3): 1. doi:10.1093/bioscience/45.3.124. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b Lamb, I. Mackenzie (1973). "Further observations on Verrucaria serpuloides M. Lamb, the only known permanently submerged marine lichen". Occasional Papers of the Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany (6): 1–5. ISSN 0090-8754. JSTOR 41760455.

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