Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.
Life habit: lichenized, occasionally lichenicolous when young Thallus: crustose, 3-5(-10) cm wide, diffract-areolate to areolate-squamulose, marginally lobed; prothallus: generally bordering the thalli and areoles in exposed sites, swollen, dull black, composed of hyphae with thick, dark blue walls areoles: +round, isodiametric or irregularly polygonal, +plane, 0.5-1 mm in diam. lobes: usually 2-2.5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, +plane to irregularly uneven surface: coppery brown in protected sites, dark brown-red in exposed sites where the occasionally rimose epinecral layer is well developed (color of central areoles +similar to that of marginal lobes), smooth, +shiny, without thallospores cortex: phenocortical, 10-50 µm, with an epinecral layer 50-100 µm thick medulla: white; algal layer: 80-100 µm thick Apothecia: absent to scattered or more often numerous and in large crowded groups, +round to distinctly angular, broadly sessile and merging with the side of the underlying areole, 0.5-2(-3) mm in diam. disc: coppery brown to brown-black, plane to slightly or later strongly convex, +shiny margin: distinct at first, rarely slightly raised, mostly level, concolorous with disc or more often somewhat paler, on very exposed sites becoming lecideoid amphithecium: with an eucortical cortex overlain by a gelatinous layer, with a distinct medulla filled with algal cells exciple: laterally c. 150 µm thick; not cupuliform below the hypothecium epihymenium: pale brown, c. 15 µm thick hymenium: hyaline, 40-50(-70) µm tall; paraphyses: becoming branched, the cells 6-14 x 2-3 µm, the apical cells broadened to 5 µm across; hypothecium: hyaline, 70-240 µm thick asci: narrowly clavate, 35-50 x 11-15 µm, 8-spored ascospores: hyaline, simple, ellipsoid to narrowly ellipsoid, (8-)10-17 x 5-7 µm Pycnidia: rare, immersed, dark above conidia: hyaline, filiform, curved, 20-30(-35) x 1 µm Spot tests: cortex and exciple K+ yellow then red (needle-shaped crystals), C- KC-, P+ orange Secondary metabolites: cortex and exciple with abundant norstictic acid, thallus also with rangiformic acid and sometimes two unknowns. Substrate and ecology: acidic rocks, including, probably mineral-poor silicates (especially gneiss, porphyrite, and granite), upper montane to alpine World distribution: arctic-alpine in Europe, Asia and North America Sonoran distribution: Arizona in upper montane areas. Notes: Protoparmelia cupreobadia is characterized by the large, marginally lobate thallus, lack of thallospores and other vegetative propagules, presence of abundant norstictic acid in the cortex and exciple, rather long and wide spores, and its occurrence when young on yellow species of Rhizocarpon in alpine areas. When growing on Rhizocarpon (and from there evidently finding little resistance), the marginal areoles are distinctly enlarged, when pushing against another lichen, the lobes often remain short and small, and are frequently surrounded by a prothallus. When sterile, P. cupreobadia can be easily confused with brown species of Lecidea.