Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2002. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 1.
Life habit: lichenized Thallus: crustose, squamulose-areolate, gelatinous when wet surface: black, finely tessellate anatomy: ecorticate, homoiomerous, paraplectenchymatous photobionts: primary one a chroococcoid cyanobacterium, secondary photobiont absent Ascomata: apothecial, laminal on thallus, orbicular, immersed to semi-immersed, margin indistinct to distinct, with crenate or nodulose thalloid rim ontogeny: hemiangiocarpous, forming pycnoasco-carps from ascogonia beneath pycnidia ascoma anatomy: exciple: hyaline or brownish-yellow; hypothecium: hyaline or brownish-yellow; epithecium: hyaline or brownish yellow asci: prototunicate, wall thin, nonamyloid, 8-spored ascospores: simple, ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, 12-26 x 8-11 µm; walls: thin, hyaline Conidiomata: pycnidial, laminal, immersed conidia: ellipsoid or bacilliform, c. 3 x 1 µm Secondary metabolites: none detected Geography: arid, semi-arid, coastal or inland habitats Substrate: limestone and calcareous rock. Notes: The diagnostic feature of the genus Stromatella is the development of ascomata in a stroma. But the genus also has pycnoascomata, where the ascomata develop beneath a pycnidium, and this is similar to Porocyphus. In terms of anatomy Stromatella is most similar to Psorotichia and Porocyphus.