TYPE. BRAZIL. Bahia, Martius s.n. (M, holotype).

Description. Life form: lichenized fungus.

Thallus crustose, thin, continuous, whitish, shiny; prothallus black; vegetative diaspores absent. Photobiont not reported. Ascomata lirellate, mostly unbranched, 0.36-0.84 x 0.14-0.16 mm; disk slit-like, sometimes gaping in the middle in larger ascomata; labia black, prominent. Exciple lateral, upper part composed of rectangular cells, 4-7 x 4-4.5 µm; hymenium hyaline, K/I+ light blue. Asci 48-51 x 17-21 µm, 8-spored, I-; ascospores hyaline to brown, 2-celled, 18-21(-23.5) x 8-9 µm, walls smooth. Pycnidia not reported.

Substrate and Habitat. Corticolous.

Distribution. Australasian and Neotropical to Eastern North America; in North Carolina reported from the Piedmont ecoregion.

Literature

Kantvilas, G. & B.J. Coppins. (1997) Notes on the Tasmanian records of Melaspilea gemella (Eschw.) Nyl. Australasian Lichenology 41: 16-17.

Martius, C.F.P. von (1833) Flora Brasiliensis seu enumeratio plantarum, Vol. 1 (1). Algae, lichenes, hepatiae. Exposuerunt Martius, Eschweiler, Nees ab Esenbeck. Stuttgartiae et Tubingiae, 390 pp (original description as Graphis scaphella var. gemella).

Nylander, W. (1867) Prodromus Florae Nova-Granatensis. Lichenes additamentum. Annales des Sciences Naturelles Botanique. sér. 5, 7: 301-354 (as Opegrapha scaphella var. gemella).