THALLUS: anywhere from endolithic to squamulose
APOTHECIA: lecideine or nearly so, paraphyses with abruptly swollen apical cell and pigment cap, asci Bacidia-type
SPORE: 8 per ascus, hyaline, 0 to 9 transverse septae
Arctic to subtropical, worldwide.
Crustose to squamulose lichens with more-or-less lecideine apothecia, generally on calcareous soil or rock in arid regions. Brodo characterizes the genus as typically thick and pruinose, as well.
Rock or soil, generally calcareous, often arid.
Catillaria can be similar, but has 2-celled spores, and its ascus has uniformly K/I+ blue tip.
Psora can have a superficial resemblance, but it has simple spores, Porpidia-type asci, and non-swollen paraphyses.
Hypocenomyce is also squamulose with dark apothecia, but the squamules are typically more ascending (like the squamules of Cladonia), and it grows on bark.
Peltula is another squamulose genus, but it has many simple spores per ascus.
Placidium and Endocarpon are also squamulose genera on soil and rock, but they have perithecia instead of apothecia.
There are a few Lecidea that are almost squamulose (e.g., Lecidea atrobrunnea), but they have simple spores.
Toninia is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.[2]
Toninia sedifolia, Tauberland, Germany
Toninia candida, Berchtesgadener Hochthron, Germany
Toninia is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Ramalinaceae.
