Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2002. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 1.

Thallus: tightly adnate to adnate, appressed, foliose, up to 7 cm diam., lobate lobes: short and rounded to somewhat elongate and sublinear, discrete to ± contiguous, 0.3-1.5 mm broad, flat to slightly convex upper surface: olive-brown or yellowish brown to rather dark brown, smooth throughout or weakly fissured or rugose in the older parts; dull throughout or slightly shiny near the lobe ends lower surface: pale tan (some specimens have scattered areas of lower cortex with a purplish-red pigment which reacts K+ purple), ± smooth, dull; moderately to rather sparsely rhizinate, the rhizines concolorous with the lower surface Apothecia: common, sometimes occurring even close to the thallus periphery, up to 1.5 mm diam., sessile, flat to slightly concave when young, usually becoming convex, the margin entire to weakly lacerate asci: clavate, 8-spored ascospores: ellipsoid, 8.5-10 x 4-5 µm Pycnidia: common conidia: bifusiform, 4-5 (-6) x 1 µm Spot tests: cortex K-, C-, KC-, P-, HNO3+ dark blue-green; medulla K-, C-, KC-, P- Secondary metabolites: unknown fatty acids TE-10 and TE-11 (both major) (Esslinger 1977). Substrate: rocks World distribution: SW North America Sonoran distribution: Arizona, forested regions from 1200 to 2000 m. Notes: Three fertile species of Neofuscelia in SW North America produce only fatty acids in the medulla and therefore lack any positive spot tests. Although N. brunella is usually smaller and narrower lobed than the other two of these (N. ahtii, N. infrapallida), certain differentiation of these three species requires analysis by thin-layer chromatography and comparison of Rf values according to those published in the protologue (Esslinger 1977).