Description ⁶

 Life habit: lichenized; Thallus: crustose, areolate, margin abrupt at edge or slightly lobed or notched, without elongated lobes; prothallus: absent; surface: orange, smooth, without asexual propagules; cortex: cellular, 14-28 µm thick, granules absent; medulla dense; Apothecia: immersed, 0.1-0.4 mm in diam., lecanorine; disc: orange, flat, epruinose; margin: disappearing, flush; thalline margin present; proper margin not visible; parathecium: cellular (paraplectenchymatous); exciple below hypothecium amorphous; epihymenium: golden, K+ red, H-, 10%N-, cN-, C-; hymenium: hyaline 40-55 µm tall; paraphyses: not swollen or 1-2 tip cells slightly swollen, not branched or with few branches; subhymenium hyaline; asci: cylindrical, 8-spored; ascospores: hyaline, 2 locules, ellipsoid, 8.5-11 x c. 4 µm, isthmus c. 3 µm, spore end wall thin; Pycnidia: present, totally immersed, ostiole orange; Spot tests: apothecial margin K+ red; thallus K+ red, H-, 10%N-, cN-, C-; Secondary metabolites: parietin, fallacinal, emodin, teloschistin, and parietinic acid.; Substrate and ecology: on non-calcareous rocks; World distribution: worldwide; Sonoran distribution: Arizona, Baja California Sur, western Chihuahua, Sonora, and northern Sinaloa.; Notes: The name Caloplaca cinnabarina has been used incorrectly in North America for species of the C. squamosa group for over 100 years. The C. squamosa group has an areolate to subsquamulose thallus. The most obvious difference between C. cinnabarina and C. rubelliana is the color of the apothecial discs. Caloplaca rubelliana has a scarlet red disc and more grayish thallus while the C. cinnabarina has more orange discs and much more brightly orange thalli. Another difference is in the thallus margin. Caloplaca rubelliana has thallus edges that gradually taper off to nothing or to some prothallus:, while C. cinnabarina has a distinct, abrupt edge without thinning. Both species have slightly elongated areoles at the margins as opposed to C. rosei that has no elongated areoles at the margins and is strictly a maritime species. 

Sources and Credits

1. (c) André Aptroot, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.tropicallichens.net/photopath/caloplaca-cinnabarina-hongkong.jpg
2. (c) National Museum of Natural History Collections, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10527423
3. (c) National Museum of Natural History Collections, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10527424
4. (c) National Museum of Natural History Collections, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10527426
5. (c) Sophia Lee, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10527427
6. (c) Lichen Unlimited: Arizona State University, Tempe., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/10549279

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
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• SEINet Symbiota portals
• USDA PLANTS database
• Ways of Enlichenment

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