TYPE. UNITED STATES. Louisiana, on trunks of cypress, J. Hale s.n. (FH, lectotype selected by Frisch & Kalb 2006; M M-0034780 / 554011 / 233261, isolectotype).

Description. Life form: lichenized fungus.

Thallus crustose, epiphloedal, corticate; surface thin, continuous, pale greenish-gray to pale gray, smooth to densely verrucose; vegetative diaspores absent. Photobiont trentepohlioid alga in a layer with clusters of calcium oxalate crystals; medulla white. Ascomata apothecia in round to angular thalline warts, 0.4-1.0 mm diam.; disk recessed in a pore 0.2-0.6 mm diam, partly filled by brown-black, white-pruinose columella; margin fissured, brown-black, felty white-pruinose. Columella present, broad-stump-shaped to reticulate, carbonized. Exciple carbonized; hymenium hyaline, not inspersed, 100-120 μm high; paraphyses simple. Asci 8-spored; ascospores hyaline, fusiform, 3-7-septate, 15–30 × 5–8 μm, with thick septa and lens-shaped lumina.

Chemistry. Medulla K-, KC-, C-, PD+ deep yellow to yellow-orange; psoromic, subpsoromic and 2'-O-demethylpsoromic acids.

Substrate and Habitat. Corticolous on trees, especially bald cypress.

Distribution. Neotropical, north into southeastern North America; in North Carolina found in the Piedmont ecoregion.

Literature

Brodo, I.M., S. Duran Sharnoff & S. Sharnoff. (2001) Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven & London. 795 pp. (description as Ocellularia granulosa).

Rivas Plata, E., R. Lücking & H.T. Lumbsch. (2012) Molecular phylogeny and systematics of the Ocellularia clade (Ascomycota: Ostropales: Graphidaceae). Taxon 61(6): 1161–1179.

Sipman, H.J.M., R. Lücking, A. Aptroot, K. Kalb, J.L. Chaves, & L. Umana (2012) A first assessment of the Ticolichen biodiversity inventory in Costa Rica and adjacent areas: the thelotremoid Graphidaceae (Ascomycota: Ostropales). Phytotaxa 55: 1-214 (description as Stegobolus granulosus).

Tuckerman, E. (1858) Supplement to an enumeration of North American lichens; Part first, containing brief diagnoses of new species. American Journal of Science and Arts 25: 422-430 (original description as Thelotrema granulosum).