Schistophoron muriforme

The thallus of Schistophoron muriforme is crustose, continuous, not corticate, dull, and pale yellowish-white, surrounded by a usually diffuse brown prothallus. The algal partner (photobiont) in this lichen is trentepohlioid. Ascomata are sessile, lirelliform or ellipsoidal or branched. They are about 0.3–0.5 mm wide, 0.3–0.4 mm high, and 0.7–1.5 mm long, and have a margin that is white and about 0.2 mm wide. The excipulum is pale brown, and the hypothecium is hyaline. The hamathecium is not inspersed and hyaline, with paraphysoids 2–2.5 μm wide, and the area above the hamathecium is completely filled with mazaedium. Ascospores are brown, muriform, 3–7 by 2–4-septate, spherical to ellipsoid, measuring 15–30 by 15–18 μm, with rounded lumina. Pycnidia were not observed to occur in this species.^[2]

The reaction of the thallus of Schistophoron muriforme to standard chemical spot tests is UV−, C−, K−, KC−, and Pd+ (yellow). Thin-layer chromatography analysis detected psoromic acid.^[2]

This species is found on trees in wet tropical mountain forests and is only known to occur in Sri Lanka.^[2][3]