Thallus: crustose, gelatinous when wet, diffuse to areolate granular, brown-black; areoles when apparent to 625 µm diam., rounded to subrectangular; homiomerous, pseudoparenchymatous, cells polygonal, >5-12.5-15 x >5-10 µm, with gelatinised walls, sometimes forming incomplete cortex around thallus; C+ obscurely orange (apparently due to bleaching by the chemical), K-, TLC negative. Apothecia numerous, lecanorine, sessile; small and globose in early stages of development becoming large urceolate-discoid, mainly 4-500 µm but to c. 700 µm diam.; thalline margin virtually absent to well developed and entirely covering excipulum. Excipulum prominent, dull red, sometimes dull yellow-brown, appearing narrower relative to central lacuna as development progresses; base of excipulum thin, composed of isodiametric cells from which arise densely anastomosing hyphae running parallel to the sides of the hymenium; sides of resulting cup-like structure progressively thickening toward rim; hypothecium thin, pale golden-brown; hymenium colourless, I- blue. Paraphyses mostly slender, septate, slightly conglutinate. Asci irregularly clavate, length variable, averaging 70-80 µm, thinwalled, normally 8-spored. Spores unicellular, 12.5-25 x 7.5-12.5 µm, ovate to broadly ellipsoid, thick-walled, colourless. Pycnidia unknown (Ellis 1981: 129).

Photobiont: Alga blue-green, spherical cells 5-7.5 µm in diam., in clumps. Thin, roughened growth over mosses (Ellis 1981: 129).

Chemistry: No lichen substances.

Ecology: Shaded calcareous rock. Pebbles on shaded woodland floors and crevices in rocky quarries (Ellis 1981: 129).

Molecular data: Genbank

Distribution: Confined to Europe. Database

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