Life habit: lichenized, ephemeral Thallus: crustose, thin, inconspicuous, membranous, effuse; prothallus: absent surface: pale gray to dull olive, rarely cracked, lacking asexual reproductive structures photobiont: primary one a chlorococcoid green alga, secondary one absent Apothecia: scattered, partially immersed to sessile, 0.2-0.6 mm in diam., lacking a thalline exciple disc: dark brownish black, strongly convex proper exciple: poorly developed, consisting of undifferentiated hyphae epihymenium: red-brown to brown, with irregular granules not dissolving in K hymenium: hyaline to partially pale red-brown, 65-75 µm tall; paraphyses: short, scarce, c. 0.7 µm wide, without expanded apices; subhymenium: pale to dark brown, composed of vertically oriented hyphae; hypothecium: yellowish brown asci: clavate-cylindrical, thin-walled, without a tholus, K/I + blue, with a distinct apical pore, (12-)16-spored ascospores: simple, hyaline, globose to very broadly ellipsoid, 5-7 µm in diam.; wall: thick, c. 0.5 µm wide Conidiomata: pycnidial, black; conidiogenous cells: elongate-ampulliform, enteroblastic, acrogenous conidia: simple, hyaline, ellipsoid, 1-1.5 x 0.5 µm Spot tests: thallus K-, C-, KC-, P- Secondary metabolites: none detected. Substrate: primarily on disturbed soil that is often metal rich, occasionally on wood, bones or man-made materials Geography: Europe and North America Sonoran distribution: high mountains of Arizona. Notes: Steinia geophana is easily overlooked because of its small size and ephemeral nature. It is characterized by a poorly developed true exciple and multispored asci with globose spores