Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.
Thallus: absent or crustose, ecorticate but sometimes with a loose unorganised alga-free layer of various hyphae, sometimes causing a white or pale gray discoloration of the substrate, esorediate Apothecia: rounded, single, rarely in groups of two to five, sessile with a constricted base, 0.2-0.3(-0.5) mm in diam. disc: light ochre or pinkish beige to orange-brown, flat to weakly convex, white pruinose when wet, dull or slightly glossy margin: weakly prominent in young apothecia, later excluded, or lacking from the beginning, without a parathecial ring amphithecium: present, with an algal layer, laterally 20-30(-60) µm, basally 40-65 µm wide, with hyaline, broadly cylindrical hyphal cells with lumina (1-)1.5-2 µm wide, corticate; cortex: composed of hyphae with lumina of 1-2 µm wide, 10-25 µm wide epihymenium: lacking or ochre and 5-10(-15) µm thick, finely granular (soluble in K) hymenium: hyaline or pale yellow, 35-40(-45) µm high; paraphyses: simple or weakly branched and anastomosing, with lumina below 0.7-1 µm wide and apically (1-)1.5-2 µm wide; subhymenium: hyaline, 25-55 µm thick; hypothecium: hyaline or weakly yellow, 10-30 µm thick asci: clavate, 8-spored ascospores: hyaline, simple or rarely 1-septate, narrowly ellipsoid, (6-)9.5-10(-11) x (2.5-)2.8-3.3(-4) µm Pycnidia: not observed Spot tests: thallus K-, C-, KC-, P- Secondary metabolites: usnic acid, ±zeorin. Substrate and ecology: endosubstratal, on wood and bark of Eucalyptus viminea World distribution: western North America (only four known collections) Sonoran distribution: southern California between 150-550 m. Notes: Lecanora latens differs from L. albellula, L. saligna and L. subintricata by smaller apothecia and spores. The closest relative seems to be L. subintricata, which mostly has isousnic acid as major chemical component.