Rimmed Navel Lichen

A morphological description can be found in Leuckert et al. (1977) and Ryan (2001). Rhizoplaca melanophthalma consists of specimens recovered within ‘clade II’ in Leavitt et al. (2011a), which is supported as a lineage distinct from all other populations according to coalescent-based genetic analysis of multiple genetic loci. The mean genetic distances among ITS haplotypes was estimated to be 0.009 ± 0.006. Chemistry – Usnic acid (major); usually with psoromic (major), constipatic (minor), dehydroconstipatic (minor), dehydroprotocetraric (minor), and 2’-O-demethylsubpsoromic (minor or trace) acids; occasionally with subpsoromic (minor) and 2’-O-demethylpsoromic (minor) acids.