Mycologia 70, 6: 1247 (1979) [1978].
Type locality: USA, Hawaii, Big Island, Hilo, Rainbow Falls, M. E. Hale 32892 ( - holotype, herb. Esslinger - isotype).
Photobiont: Green alga.
Chemistry: Skyrin, and an unidentified fatty acid (Esslinger & Harada 2010: 28).
Ecology: Over moss on rock and bark.
Barcode: Available.
Thallus: foliose, gray-white to greenish gray, medium sized, up to ca. 6 cm in diam but sometimes coalescing, irregular to somewhat orbicular. Perpheral lobes irregularly branched and crenate, mostly concave with upturned ends and margins, 1-2-3 mm broad. Inward, the lobes with numerous small lobules along the margins, these sometimes nearly covering the thallus center, lobules mostly 0.2-0.5-1 mm broad, usually longer than broad and becoming more or less erect. Lower surface black but often paler on the lobe ends and lobules (red medulla sometimes showing through, with rather numerous, black, simple to weakly fasciculate rhizines up to 1 or 2 mm long. Apothecia not seen in the Japanese specimens, but the spores were reported as 22-29 x 9-13 µm, Pachysporaria-type in the protologue. The medulla is deep orange-red and reacts very strongly K+ purple (Esslinger & Harada 2010: 27).