Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2007. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 3.
Thallus: small, up to 3.5 mm wide, forming small rosettes or subfruticose cushions, composed of short, cylindrical lobes, 1.6 mm tall and 0.1-0.2 mm wide or lobes flattened and up to 1.2(-3.5) mm wide, foliose lobes with ridges and cylindrical lobules along the margin lobes: 150-200 µm thick, heteromerous, centrally with loose hyphal strand incorporating a few photobiont cells, fountain-like hyphal arrangement distinct only in the lobe tips, anatomy reticulate towards the lobe periphery upper surface: black, smooth or ridged lower surface: concolorous with upper surface, dull, attached by tufts of rhizohyphae Apothecia: thallinocarpous, terminal to marginal, up to 0.2-0.6 mm wide, appearing as globose or elongated, convex swellings on lope tips and margins disc: rough, thalline margin: 0.05-0.1 mm wide, indistinct; proper exciple: absent hymenium: discontinuous, separated into indistinct partial hymenia, c. 100 µm wide, 95-100 µm tall, covered by continuous layer of sterile thalline tissue interrupted only by the pore-like discs of the partial hymenia, hyaline, IKI+ blue turning wine red; subhymenium: hyaline, continuous, elongated as stipe into central strand, IKI+ blue ascus: (8-)16(-24)-spored ascospores: hyaline, simple, broad ellipsoid to subglobose, small, (4-)6-7 x 3-4 µm Pycnidia: terminal or lateral, 130-150 µm wide conidia: fusiform, c. 3 x c. 0.8 µm Spot tests: all negative Secondary products: none detected. Substrate and ecology: on calcareous and volcanic rocks World distribution: SW North America Sonoran distribution: central and southern Arizona and Baja California Sur. Notes: The shape of the lobules is variable ranging from ±cylindrical branchings 0.1-0.2 mm wide to flattened, somewhat ridged squamules or lobes up to 1.2(-3.5) mm wide. Lichinella sinaica is similar, but the squamules are larger and often vertically folded. The central hyphal strand is wider and very loose and there is no fountain-like hyphal arrangement. Furthermore, the species seems to be restricted to limestone and calcareous rocks.