Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2002. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 1.
Squamules: up to 3 (-4) mm diam.; epithecium brown with a green tinge orange pigment: absent ascospores: broadly to narrowly ellipsoid, simple, 10.5-17 x 5-5.5 µm Secondary metabolites: undescribed chemotype 8 (series of undetermined terpenoids). Host: cyanolichens Substrate and ecology: on soil in oak-pine-cypress forest at 1800 m World and Sonoran distribution: Chihuahua (single locality) (cross). Notes: The subspecies is mainly recognized by its unique chemotype. In addition, ssp. arizonica differs in containing an orange pigment (K+ red) in the hypothecium and inside the lumina of many paraphyses, asci, and spores; ssp. gigantea in having partly 1-septate, longer spores and a more green epithecium. The three other most similar subspecies, ssp. fujikawae (Satô) Timdal (Japan), ssp. pseudotabacina Timdal (Europe, North Africa, Macaronesia), and ssp. thalloedaemiformis (Szatala) Timdal (eastern Mediterranean Europe), all have a green epithecium.