TYPE. UNITED STATES. Louisiana, “Covington, Madeville, Lac Ponchartrain, sur écorces, Covington, sur vieux bois, leg. Frère Arsène Brouard, 1921-1923” (Bouly de Lesdain 1932); Jul 1921, Bro. G. Arsène 13910 (US, isosyntype).

Description. Life form. Lichenized fungus.

Thallus crustose, pale grayish, corticate, continuous, thin to thick, smooth to verruculose; prothallus present as dark line. Vegetative diaspores absent. Medulla white; photobiont trebouxioid alga. Ascomata lecanorine apothecia, numerous, sessile, 0.3-1.0 mm diam.; disk reddish-brown with yellowish pruina, flat to somewhat convex; margin thin, smooth. Amphithecium corticate, with algae in medulla; epihymenium yellow-brown, inspersed with crystals upper portions; hymenium hyaline, clear; hypothecium hyaline. Asci clavate, 8-spored; ascospores simple, hyaline, ellipsoid, 9-12 x 5-8 μm.

Chemistry. Thallus K+ yellow; epihymenium C+ orange, K-, PD- (xanthones); hymenium I+ blue; hymenium K-.

Substrate and Habitat. Corticolous on hardwoods and conifers in coastal environments including maritime forests, swamp forests and upland forests.

Distribution. Coastal Plain of southeastern North America; in North Carolina found along the coast.

Literature

Bouly de Lesdain, M. (1932). "Notes lichénologiques. XXV" [Lichenological notes. XXV]. Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France (in French). 78(5): 726–731 (original description).

Lendemer, J.C. & N. Noell. (2018) Delmarva Lichens: An illustrated manual. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Society 28: 1-386.