Cryptothecia albomaculatella
Cryptothecia albomaculatella is a species of corticolous, crustose lichen in the family Arthoniaceae. It is a common lichen species in Thailand, and has also been recorded from Assam, India.
Taxonomy
It was formally described in 2009 by the lichenologist André Aptroot and the botanist Pat Wolseley. The type specimen was collected from Khlong Plou, Kapou Kapiang station.Description
Its thallus is up to in diameter and 0.1–0.2 mm thick, and is and pale yellowish in colour. Instead of making discrete sexual reproductive structures like apothecia, this lichen instead has an "ascigerous zone", a region on the thallus where asci are located. This zone, slightly elevated in comparison to the rest of the thallus, has a roughly circular to irregular outline, and is covered with white. When the ascigerous zone is abraded, conspicuous black spots are revealed–these are the asci, which are . The, which number 6 to 8 per ascus, are, and measure 50–65 by 22–29 μm. It contains the substances barbatic acid and obtusatic acid.Cryptothecia albomaculatella is somewhat similar in appearance to Cryptothecia albomaculans, found in the Andaman Islands, but this species has slightly smaller ascospores and different chemistry.