TYPE. BRAZIL. Bahia, “In corticibus Rhizophorae mangles et Conocarpi racemosi.” (Martius 1828); C.F.P. Martius s.n. (M, M-0012271, holotype).

Description. Life form: lichenized fungus.

Thallus crustose, cream-colored, yellowish, dull, rarely slightly shiny, smooth or uneven to small warts with embedded crystals. The thallus between closely neighboring lirellae is often paler, stroma-like and contains many crystals; vegetative diaspores absent. Photobiont trentepohlioid alga. Ascomata lirellae, sessile, ± elongated, wavy, mostly star-shaped branched, often densely packed branches, 0.5-2 × 0.1-0.2 mm; margin black, surrounded by a narrow thallus border; the disk open, slightly sunken, brown-black, rarely white pruinose. Exciple carbonized, entire, laterally narrow, diverging; epihymenium brown; hymenium inspersed with oil drops, 70-90 μm high, I-; paraphyses ~1.5 µm thick, tips somewhat thickened, branched, brown. Asci 8-spored; ascospores brownish, transversely 3-septate, 14-20 × 5–8 μm, I+ red-brown.

Chemistry. No substances detected by TLC.

Substrate and Habitat. Corticolous and hardwood trees.

Distribution. Pantropical north into southeastern North America; in North Carolina found throughout.

Literature

Martius, C.F.P. (1828) Icones plantarum cryptogamicarum 1: 1-30 (original description as Leiogramma sericeum).

Staiger B. (2002) Die Flechtenfamilie Graphidaceae. Studien in Richtung einer natürlicheren Gliederung. Bibliotheca Lichenologica 85: 1–526.