Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2007. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 3.
Thallus: very thin and inconspicuous surface: whitish, sometimes tinged with yellow-brown or with patches of rusty orange, smooth to subfarinaceous Ascomata: initially perithecioid, later expanding and appearing apothecioid, solitary, immersed to adnate, up to 0.3-0.5 mm in diam.; pore: concave to plane to slightly convex when old, pale orange to rose-red; margin: thalline, appearing as a whitish rim, wider than the diameter of pore, entire true exciple: pale or bright yellowish brown peripherally, without granules, 70-80 um wide, paraplectenchymatous hymenium: hyaline to pale brownish, hymenial gel amyloid; paraphyses: slender, c. 200 x 1.5-2 µm, simple, flexuous, not branched and without apical thickening asci: narrowly cylindrical, tapering apically, thin-walled, without apical thickening or apparatus, 8-spored ascospores: hyaline, muriform, ellipsoid to oblong-obovoid, 20-26(-28) x 11-14 um Pycnidia: not found Secondary metabolites: not tested due to insufficient amount of material. Substrate and ecology: on calcareous rock World and Sonoran distribution: mainland of southern California, presently known only from the type collection. Notes: Topelia gyalectodes differs from T. californica in having a paler pore and exciple, which is also lacking granules. It occurs on calcareous rocks, while T. californica and T. aperiens (Louisiana) are known from tree bark. The European T. rosea occurs on limestone, but is readily distinguished by more expanded and apothecioid ascomata.