Abhandl. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 26: 441 (1876).

Protolog: Data lacking.

Protolog type data: Data lacking.

Type locality: Peru, Lima, Dr. Barranca, com. H. Wawra, M - lectotype [TLC: usnic acid, divaricatic acid]. Designated by Krog & Swinscow (1975).

Type locality coordinates: Data lacking.

Molecular barcode: Data lacking.

Thallus: fruticose, 3 - 4 cm, high, moderately sparingly branched, growing from a common holdfast. Branches stramineous or greenish grey, 150 - 400 µm thick, solid, bilateral (dorsiventral), soft, flat or samewhat canaliculated, rugose or reticulately wrinkled, becoming coriaceous and lacunose in older specimens. Pseudocyphellae laminal on both sides of the branch, punctiform, plane or concave (depressed or rarely more or less convex). Cortex distinct, 15 µm thick. Chondroid tissue discontinuous, uneven in thickness, up to 104 µm thick, sparingly and distinctly cracke. Soredia and isidia absent. Apothecia common, up to 4 mm in diameter, lateral, subapical, disc convex, plane or concave, heavily pruinose, thalline exciple pseudocyphellate and reticulately ridged, lacking spurs. Spores ellipsoid, 2-celled, 10 - 15 - 20 / 2 - 5 - 6 µm, some of the larger spores with pseudosepta (Kashiwadani 1987: 130, Swinscow & Krog 1988: 277).

Chemistry: Medulla with divaricatic acid, fatty acid accessory (Kashiwadani 1987: 130, Swinscow & Krog 1988: 277), cortex with usnic acid. Divaricatic acid and stenosporic acid, sometimes with traces of salizinic acid and usnic acid (Alstrup et al. 2010: 347).

Ecology: Corticolous. In Tanzania on shrubs in grassland and on planted conifers between 1000 and 2200 m, rather rare (Swinscow & Krog 1988: 277).

Distribution type: Peru, Kenya and Tanzania.

Note: In Peru known only from the type locality.