Bryologist 97, 1: 26 (1994).

Protolog: "Thallus corticolus, pendulus; laciniae subnitidae, complanatae vel canaliculateae; pseudocyphelliis ellipsoideis instructis; soralia lateralia vel laminalia; pycnidia non visa; apothecia non visa; acidum salazinicum continens. Typus: VENEZUELA. Edo. Mérida. La Carbonera, between La Azulita and Mérida City, 2,200 m, 1 March 1975, Lopez-Figueiras & Keogh 9185 (MERF, holotypus)".

Type locality: Venezuela, Estado Mérida, La Carbonera, between La Azulita and Mérida City, 2200 m, 1 March 1975, Lopez-Figueiras & Keogh 9185 (MERF - holotype).

Barcode: Data lacking.

Coordinates: 8°36'0"N, 71°9'0"W; 8.6°, -71.15°.

Thallus: fruticose, pendulous, to 12.5 cm long, tufted from holdfast, densely branched, branching mainly dichotomous, with small cilia in apices, laciniae ochre-colored, subshiny, flat to canaliculate, more or less filamentous, 0.6 - 0.8 mm broad; pseudocyphellae lateral or laminal, ellipsoid, raised on small tubercles, few sorediate; cortical tissue paraplectenchymatous, 6-8 µm thick, of thick-walled hyphae, becoming disrupted by pseudocyphellae, peripheral chondroid tissue sometimes forming continuous upper and lower layers, 34 - 40 µm thick, medulla dense. Apothecia not known. Pycnidia unknown (Marcano & Morales Méndez 1994: 26).

Photobiont: protococcoid, cells subglobose to globose, 5.5-9.1 µm diameter (Marcano & Morales Méndez 1994: 26).

Chemistry: Usnic acid, salacinic acid (Marcano & Morales 1994: 26 by TLC).

Ecology: Corticolous. Subalpine altitudes on the mountains of eastern and central Mérida state in very moist rain forest, on trees and shrubs, 2200 - 2500 m (Marcano & Morales Méndez 1994: 26).

Molecular data: Genbank

Distribution: Database

Note: "Ramalina andina is anatomically and chemically similar to R. pacifica Asah. (Stevens 1987). Both species are charactized by cortical tissue disrupted by pseudocyphellae, and salazinic acid as a chemical constituent. However, R. andina has ciliate laciniae, very small, densely branched, abundant pseudocyphellae, 16-22 x 24-50 µm, with powdery soredia, whereas R. pacifica has laciniae without cilia, lightly branched, larger pseudocyphellae 40-42 x 90-100 µm, with granular soredia" (Marcano & Morales Méndez 1994: 26).