Ann. bot. Soc. zool. bot. fenn. Vanamo20: 5 (1944).
A pan-American species new to the Galapagos; material of this taxon was reported as R. complanata by Weber (1986). The species is corticolous and grows in the coastal and dry zone, often abundant. It is often confused with R. complanata, from which it can be distinguished by its shorter, distinctly broadened and often ± hollow or inflated lobes. All Galapagos specimens react K- and do not contain salazinic acid (Kashiwadani & Kalb 1993). In contrast, R. complanata typically reacts K+ yellow, slowly turning red. The colour photograph of R. complanata in Brodo et al. (2001) is a good likeness of typical R. aspera and may be a misidentification.
Selected specimens examined. Ecuador: Galápagos: Isabela Island, Volcán Alcedo, along the trail going up the E-slope, barranco to the SE-side of the trail , 0˚ 24’ 2” S, 91˚ 2’ 36” W, alt. 410 m, arid zone; basalt boulders and outcrops at the NW-exposed slope of the barranco, Bursera graveolens and Zanthoxylum fagara growing in between, on bark, dead twig, NE-exposed; sunny, wind- and rain-exposed, 09 iii 2006, F. Bungartz 4385 (CDS no. 28470); Pinta Island, along the trail up to the summit from the S-coast, 0˚ 33’ 22” N, 90˚ 44’ 34” W, alt. 88 m, arid zone; open woodland of Bursera graveolens and few Opuntia galapageia with an understory of Croton scouleri, Castela galapageia, Waltheria ovata, Lantana peduncularis among Pahoehoe lava, on bark, twigs of dead Castela galapageia; sunny, wind- and rain-exposed, 28 ii 2007, F. Bungartz 6027 (CDS no. 33706); Pinzón Island, along the trail going up from Playa Escondida, 0˚ 36’ 5” S, 90˚ 39’ 54” W, alt. 225 m, arid zone with Prosopis juliflora, Alternanthera filifolia, Maytenus octogona, and Croton scouleri, on bark, twigs, 16 ii 2006, A. Aptroot 64132 B (CDS no. 30695); San Cristóbal Island, crest of Cerro Tortuga, ca. 4 km inland from the NW-coast, 0˚ 44’ 54” S, 89˚ 23’ 32” W, alt. 116 m, arid zone; open Piscidia carthagenensis woodland with few Bursera graveolens and dense understory of Croton scouleri, Cordia lutea, and Mentzelia aspera on rocky SE-exposed slope of hill, on bark, twigs of Cordia lutea; sunny, wind- and rain-exposed, 25 iv 2007, F. Bungartz 6537 (CDS no. 34755); Santa Cruz Island, along the S coast of Santa Cruz, ca. 1.5 km to the east of the CDRS, 0˚ 44’ 59” S, 90˚ 17’ 42” W, alt. 13 m, bare coastal lava rocks with Cryptocarpus pyriformis, Jasminocereus thouarsii, Opuntia echios, and Scutia spicata occasionally in between, on wood, 10 ii 2006, A. Aptroot 63699 (CDS no. 30254); Santiago Island, along the trail from the caseta in La Central to La Bomba, halfway down to the coast, 0˚ 12’ 54” S, 90˚ 43’ 21” W, alt. 293 m, arid zone; open woodland of Bursera graveolens and Opuntia galapageia with shrubs of Castela galapageia among basalt boulders and rocks, on bark, Castela twigs, 25 iii 2006, A. Aptroot 65615 (CDS no. 32205).
from: Aptroot, A. & Bungartz, F. (2007) The lichen genus Ramalina on the Galapagos. The Lichenologist39(6): 519-542.