Type. U.S.A. CALIFORNIA. Del Norte Co., along U.S. Route 199 just S of the Oregon/California border, 41o59.6'N, 123o43.1'W, on Alnus rubra with R. laevigata, 500-600 m, 04 May 1991, T. Tønsberg 14696 (BG - holotype!, ASU - isotype!).
Description.Thallus thin or thick, grey to dark brown, comprised of discrete areoles, ca. 0.25 mm wide at first, later to 0.40-0.55 mm wide, sometimes becoming continuous or rimose; surface plane or convex, or rugose if thallus continuous, matt; margin indeterminate; prothallus lacking, or determinate on smooth bark; prothallus then dark, narrow, entire; vegetative propagules absent. Apothecia narrowly attached, frequent, contiguous or not, to 0.50-1.00(-1.40) mm in diam.; disc black, persistently plane, sometimes white pruinose, more rarely orange pruinose; thalline margin concolourous with thallus, ca. 0.10 mm wide, entire and persistent; excipular ring sometimes conspicuous, raised. Apothecial Anatomy. Thalline exciple 60-110 µm wide laterally; cortex 10-20 µm wide; crystals absent in cortex, present in medulla; cortical cells to 4.5-6.0 µm wide, pigmented; algal cells to 7.5-11.5 µm long; thalline exciple 90-120 µm deep below; cortex to (20-)40-60(‑100) µm, hyphae columnar, I+ blue; proper exciple usually pigmented brown, often continuous below hypothecium, 5-15 µm wide laterally, 15-30 µm at periphery; hypothecium hyaline or light yellowish-brown in upper part, (35-)60-80(-110) µm deep; hymenium not inspersed, 120-140 µm high; paraphyses 1.5-2.0 µm wide, moderately conglutinate, with apices to 3.5-5.0 µm wide, usually heavily pigmented, immersed in a dispersed pigment forming a red‑brown epihymenium, orange surface crystals sometimes present, dissolving in KOH; asci 80-100 x 23-30 µm. Ascospores 4-8/ascus, Type A development, Physcia-type (Figure 21), (21.5-)26.0-27.5(-32.0) x (11.0-)13.5-14.5(-17.0) µm, average l/b ratio 1.8-2.0, wall thickenings developing late with wall pigmentation, particularly at apices, lumina often becoming inflated (Physconia-like) in overmature spores, many spores slightly constricted at maturity; torus finally heavily pigmented like walls; walls not or very lightly ornamented. Pycnidia immersed in thallus, ca. 100 µm in diam.; conidiophores 1-2(-3) celled, type VI; conidia bacilliform, ca. 4.5 x 1.0-1.5 µm;
Substrate and Ecology. Grows on the bark of conifers, deciduous trees, and chaparral twigs; recorded on Alnus rubra, Arctostaphylos, Lithocarpus densiflorus, Quercus agrifolia, Pinus, Pseudotsuga macrocarpa and P. menziesii. It has been collected with R. aurantiaca, R. boulderensis, R. californiensis, R. capensis, R. disjuncta, R. endospora and R. laevigata, at elevations of 215-1 700 m. There are three records for this species on granite, all at high elevations; 1 400 m in the northern Coastal Range (Ryan 25271, 25254, ASU) and 2 000 m in the Sierra Nevada (Hammer 343, WIS).
Distribution.Rinodina badiexcipula is a North American endemic belonging to the Californian floristic element. It possesses a Pacific coast, oceanic distribution from Josephine Co., Oregon, south through the California Coast Ranges to the San Jacinto Mountains. It also occurs in the northern Sierra Nevada. The species is less frequent in southern California where it is known primarily from older records, when the atmosphere was less polluted.
Notes.Rinodina badiexcipula is usually characterized by, and is named after, its pigmented proper exciple. The species is otherwise characterized by its large apothecia with relatively thick margins, and by the presence of sphaerophorin crystals in the medulla. The spores of R. badiexcipula typically develop a rather prominent torus (Mayrhofer & Sheard 2002). They also have a unique development, apical wall thickening being delayed until after pigmentation has begun to be laid down.
Dark forms of the species are reminiscent of R. oregana but this species has significantly larger, Dirinaria-type spores possessing very obvious Type B development, lacks the pigmented proper exciple, and also lacks sphaerophorin and a columnar lower cortex in the apothecia. Another northwestern coastal species with a pigmented proper exciple is R. macrospora which, however, has significantly larger, Physcia-type spores with more prominent wall ornamentation, a light grey thallus with atranorin in the cortex, and also lacks sphaerophorin.
The large, Physcia-type spores, the presence of sphaerophorin, and the occasional presence of orange pruina on the discs, suggest a relationship with R. turfacea. This species may also have a pigmented proper exciple. However, R. badiexcipula is distinguished from this oro-arctic species by the presence of isosphaeric rather than variolaric acid as a minor constituent, its less exaggeratedly narrowly attached apothecia, typically with broader margins, more broadly ellipsoid and slightly larger spores which, most importantly, have a different ontogeny. The apical wall thickenings develop at the same time as the wall pigmentation, rather than preceding pigmentation as in R. turfacea and all other species with Physcia-type spores. The two species are allopatric and occupy different substrates, further confirming their distinctness.
Two blastidiate species may be closely related to R. badiexcipula: R. disjuncta and R. turfaceiodes van Den Boom, H. Mayrhofer, Elix & Giralt. The former is another western North American endemic with an oceanic distribution, an identical chemistry, pigmented exciple, very similar, large spores but with typical Physcia-type development, a more poorly developed thallus of discrete areoles which very quickly become consordediate or blastidiate. Rinodina disjuncta also very rarely possesses orange pruina on the apothecial discs. Rinodina turfaceoides van Den Boom, H. Mayrhofer, Elix & Giralt is another oceanic species from the Serra da Estrela, a high rainfall area of Portugal (Giralt et al. 2001). This species also has orange pruina, a pigmented proper exciple, and similar spore type. However, the spores of R. turfaceoides again have typical Physcia-type development, their walls are always weakly ornamented, and the thallus contains variolaric rather than isosphaeric acid.
Material of this species, together with R. oregana, form the basis for records of R. succedens (Nyl.) Arnold in Hasse (1913). Rinodina badiexcipula also includes material of R. roboris sensu Herre (1910).
Specimens examined [and not recorded by Mayrhofer & Sheard (2002)]. U.S.A. CALIFORNIA. Del Norte Co., Elk Creek, T. Tønsberg 28907 (BG); Route 199, S Oregon-California border, T. Tønsberg 14690b, 14696 (BG); Eldorado Co., 3 mi E. Kyburz, C.C. Bratt 9136 (SBBG); Humboldt Co., Eureka airport, J. Lindsay 349, 363 (WIS); Lake Co., 15 mi NE Lake Pillsbury, S.C. Tucker 35507B; 8 mi NE Potter Valley, S.C. Tucker 35461; Clear Lake State Park, S.C. Tucker 31676 (all SBBG); Los Angeles Co., San Gabriel Mountains, H.E. Hasse 503 (MIN); 1895, H.E. Hasse (FH); 1897, H.E. Hasse (US); 1897, H.E. Hasse 347 (NY); Santa Monica Mountains, 1912, H.E. Hasse (ABSL, FH); Marin Co., Mount Tamalpais, S.C. Tucker 37565 (SBBG); J.C. Lendemer 5874 (personal herb.); Monterey Co., Nacimiento, P. van den Boom 28881 (personal herb); San Bernadino Co., San Bernardino Mountain,1896, H.E. Hasse (FH); San Diego Co., Palomar Mountain, K. Knudsen 2725 (Lendemer personal herb.); Santa Clara Co., Loma Prieta, 1938, A.C. Herre (NY); San Jose, S.C. Tucker, 6147 (SBBG); Santa Cruz Co., Boulder Creek, V.F. Hesse 3055B (UC); Saratoga Gap, S.C. Tucker 6278; Shasta Co., 1 mi N Lamoine, S.C. Tucker 37164; Sierra Co., 11 mi W Donnieville, S.C. Tucker 31863 (all SBBG); 6mi NE Sierra City, Robertson 9755 (personal herb.); Siskijou Co., 3 mi NE Seiad Valley, B.D. Ryan 25692; 5 mi S Scotts Bar, B.D. Ryan 25075, 25076, 25081; Marble Mountain Wilderness, B.D. Ryan 25254, 25463 (all ASU); Tehama Co., Potato Patch Campground, L. Segal 329 (WIS). OREGON. Josephine Co., Grayback Creek, B. McCune 23084 (personal herb.); Hayes Hill Summit, T. Tønsberg 28901 (BG).
Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.
Thallus: crustose, thin, comprised of discrete areoles, c. 0.25 mm wide at first, later up to 0.4-0.55 mm wide, plane or convex, sometimes becoming continuous or rimose, rugose surface: gray to dark brown, dull; margin: indeterminate; prothallus: lacking, or determinate on smooth bark and limited by a narrow, entire, dark prothallus; vegetative propagules: absent Apothecia: sessile, frequent, contiguous or not, up to 0.5-1(-1.4) mm in diam. disc: black, persistently plane, sometimes white pruinose, more rarely orange pruinose thalline margin: concolorous with thallus, c. 0.1 mm wide, entire and persistent; excipular ring: sometimes conspicuous, raised thalline exciple: 60-110 µm wide laterally; cortex: 10-20 µm wide; cells: up to 4.5-6 µm wide, pigmented; algal cells: up to 7.5-11.5 µm in diam.; medulla with crystals visible in polarized light; thalline exciple: 90-120 µm thick below; cortex to (20-)40-60(-100) µm, hyphae columnar proper exciple: usually pigmented brown, often continuous below hypothecium, 5-15 µm wide laterally, 15-30 µm at periphery hymenium: 120-140 µm tall; paraphyses: 1.5-2 µm wide, moderately conglutinate, with apices up to 3.5-5 µm wide, usually heavily pigmented, immersed in a dispersed pigment forming a red-brown epihymenium, orange surface crystals sometimes present, dissolving in K; hypothecium: hyaline or light yellowish brown in upper part, (35-)6080(-110) µm thick asci: clavate, 80-100 x 23-30 µm, 48-spored ascospores: brown, 1-septate, bluntly ellipsoid, type A development, Physcia-type, (21.5-)26-27.5(-32) x (11-)13.5-14.5(-17) µm, wall thickenings developing late with wall pigmentation particularly at apices, lumina finally becoming inflated in overmature spores, many spores slightly waisted at maturity; torus: eventually heavily pigmented like walls; walls: not or very lightly ornamented Pycnidia: immersed in thallus, c. 100 µm in diam.; conidiophores: 1-2(-3) celled, unbranched, type VI conidia: bacilliform, c. 4.5 x 1-1.5 µm Spot tests: K- or K+ sordid yellow, C-, KC-, P- Secondary metabolites: sphaerophorin (major), isosphaeric acid (minor). Substrate and ecology: growing on the bark of conifers, deciduous trees, and chaparral twigs; frequently collected with other Rinodina species at elevations of 215-1525 m World distribution: a North American endemic belonging to the Californian floristic element, with a Pacific coast, oceanic distribution from Josephine Co., Oregon to the California coast ranges and the northern Sierra Nevada Sonoran distribution: southern California, only a single recent record at 1525 m from the San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County. Notes: Rinodina badiexcipula is named after, and is usually characterized by, its pigmented proper exciple. The species is otherwise characterized by its large apothecia with relatively thick margins, reminiscent of R. oregana, and by the presence of sphaerophorin crystals in the medulla. Rinodina oregana has significantly larger, Dirinaria-type spores possessing very obvious Type B development, lacks the pigmented proper exciple and sphaerophorin, and also lacks a columnar lower cortex in the apothecia. The spores of R. badiexcipula typically develop a rather prominent torus (but not illustrated in Fig. 4, Mayrhofer and Sheard 2002). Material of R. badiexcipula, together with R. oregana, form the basis of records of R. succedens (Hasse 1913), and also includes material of R. roboris (Herre 1910).