Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.
Life habit: lichenized Thallus: crustose, +ecorticate, firmly attached medulla: chalky, I-, K/I- photobiont: primary one a Trentepohlia (or absent), secondary one absent Ascomata: apothecioid, lirelliform to round, immersed then sessile, little or not constricted at base disc: covered by persistent whitish, grayish or yellowish pruina exciple: brown-black, composed of firmly gelatinized hyphae making the structure difficult to see; without granules or crystals hymenium: hyaline; paraphysoids: much branched and anastomosed, often forming a loose network over the hymenium asci: clavate, fissitunicate, grumulosa-type (exoascus thin; endoascus thin, except toward apex, K/I+ blue, with ring distinguishable in the tip of endoascus but little or not differentiated, with small ocular chamber), 8-spored ascospores: hyaline, becoming brown only when old, transversely 3-12-septate, oblong-ovoid to fusiform, 10-45 x 2.5-9 µm, halonate, obtuse or apiculate at the poles Conidiomata: pycnidial, immersed to subimmersed, punctiform conidia: hyaline, straight or rarely curved, 4-17 x 0.8-1.5 µm Secondary metabolites: orcinol depsides or ß-orcinol depsides or orcinol depsidones or ß-orcinol depsidones or anthraquinones or secondary metabolites absent Substrate: on rock (calcareous or not) or bark Geography: tropical to temperate or cold climates, oceanic to suboceanic. Notes: Lecanographa is distinguished from Opegrapha mainly on the basis of its ascus type and halonate spores. It is characterized by having a) +lirelliform to +round ascomata that are immersed to adnate, covered by a whitish or grayish pruina, and b) transverse ascospores 3- to pluriseptate, thin-walled, not or slightly thickened at the septa, usually surrounded by a thick gelatinous sheath, hyaline and smooth but with brown granular warts covering the old ascospores. Lecanographa differs from Lecanactis especially in that its asci are grumulosa-type with the entire endoascus strongly hemi-amyloid and its ring is little or not differentiated, and its ascospores have a +visible gelatinous sheath. In addition to the species treated below, Lecanographa amylacea (Ehrh. ex Pers.) Egea & Torrente is reported in the North American checklist, but we have no confirmed material from the Sonoran region and also Egea and Torrente (1994) did not report it.