I have no experience with lichens, let alone with mushrooms on lichens!

On the podetia of Cladonia gracilis (not 100% sure of the determination) I found brown/black ascomata (diameter: 286-317 µm). After making five preparations I didn't succeed in finding free spores and the microscopic pictures are anything but excellent.
No reaction in Melzer, texture and/or paraphyse with brown pigments.
Can someone help me with the identification?

Using a key I found in the publication of Mikhail P. Zhurbenko and Raquel Pino-Bodas (A revision of lichenicolous fungi growing on Cladonia ...) I determine the apothecia as Brackelia lunkei. The podetia are bleached in the places where the ascomata occur. Could this fungi be parasitic?
Am I right or am I completely mistaken? Thank you in advance for all your help.

François Bartholomeeusen

Hans-Otto Baral, 10-10-2019 09:05

Re : Fungi on lichen (Cladonia gracilis)

Hi Francois

I hear the name Brackelia the first time, and I do not have the paper of 2017. I would be glad you could send me.
Thanls
Zotto

Hans-Otto Baral, 10-10-2019 09:26

Re : Fungi on lichen (Cladonia gracilis)

Thanks! There is indeed some similarity, but it is not easy to compare because the type was described in dead state.  But it coud well be this species. Where did you collect it?

Your pics lack a scale, while the statement 1000x is useless for me when I want to measure.