Bacidia termitophila

The thallus of Bacidia termitophila is very thin, smooth, patchily shiny, and continuous, with a green colour. It is ecorticate, meaning it lacks a cortical layer, a protective layer typically found in other lichens. The algae within the thallus are chlorococcoid, measuring approximately 5–10 μm in diameter.^[1]

Apothecia, the reproductive structures where spores are produced, are appressed to the thallus, measuring 0.3–0.6 mm in diameter. They are typically solitary or clustered, convex in shape, with a dull chocolate brown colour that darkens to black as they age. The apothecia's margins are covered by the convex disc, making them invisible from above.^[1]

The hymenium, the tissue layer containing the spore-producing asci, is clear (hyaline) and measures 85–105 μm in height. It reacts to iodine staining (IKI) by turning bluish. The asci are of the Bacidia-type and typically contain eight, 3-septate, fusiform ascospores that are 17–20 by 4–5 μm in size, with pointed ends.^[1]

Chemical tests on the thallus are uniformly negative (UV−, C−, K−, KC−, P−), indicating no detectable secondary metabolites typically found in many lichens.^[1]

Bacidia termitophila is known only from its type locality in Brazil, where it grows exclusively on the soil of termite nests within primary rainforests.^[1]