Coniarthonia erythrocarpa

The body (thallus) is whitish and develops within the outermost bark layers, forming a thin, spreading crust that is very thin in cross-section (about 10–20 μm) and lacks visible border zone (prothallus) lines. The algal partner (photobiont) is the green alga Trentepohlia, with oval (ellipsoid) cells arranged in short chains. The fruiting bodies (ascomata) are scattered and typically irregularly elongated to weakly branched, often following ridges in the bark. They are flat to slightly convex (becoming more convex when moist), and the surface is rough and densely frosted with crimson-red pigment (crimson-red pruinose), with darker areas where the spore-bearing structures (asci) are mature. In cross-section, the fruiting bodies are about 90–110 μm thick and lack a sharply defined outer wall (excipulum). The uppermost tissue layer (epithecium) is densely packed with crimson pigment crystals and is described as water-repellent (hydrophobic), while the spore-bearing layer (hymenium) beneath contains progressively fewer crystals. The asci are dispersed, broadly club-shaped (clavate) to nearly spherical (subglobose) with a distinct stalk, and they contain eight ascospores arranged in two to three rows. The ascospores are oblong-oval, colourless (hyaline), and 2-celled (1-septate), measuring about 15–18 × 6.5–7.5 μm, with the upper cell slightly larger. …

Coniarthonia erythrocarpa is a bark-dwelling, lichen-forming species. It is known only from the type locality in Mozambique (Palma), collected on tree bark. Detailed secondary chemistry has not been investigated owing to the scarcity of available material.

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