Halegrapha intergrapha
Halegrapha intergrapha is a bark-dwelling crusty lichen in the Graphidaceae family. It forms a thin, pale white-to-grey crust on tree bark and shows many black, branched, slit-like fruiting bodies that break through the surface.
Classification: Kingdom Fungi; Division Ascomycota; Class Lecanoromycetes; Order Graphidales; Family Graphidaceae; Genus Halegrapha; Species Halegrapha intergrapha. It was formally described in 2011 by Robert Lücking, based on material collected in Malaysia by Mason Hale in 1965. The name intergrapha reflects its in-between appearance: outwardly like Graphis but with internal features more like Phaeographis. Halegrapha intergrapha was placed in a new genus at the same time.
Description: The thallus (lichen body) is white to grey, continuous, about 1–5 cm across and 30–60 micrometers thick, with a smooth surface. In cross-section, it has a firm upper cortex, an irregular algal layer, and visible crystal clusters. The black lirellae are numerous and often densely branched, breaking through the thallus surface; the inner disc is hidden and the edges (labia) stay closed. The inner tissue is darkened toward the top. The hymenium is colorless but contains crystals. Each ascus has eight brown, thick-walled ascospores that are 7–9 septate and about 20–32 by 10–12 micrometers; spores are elongated with rounded ends. No lichen substances were detected by standard chemical tests.
Distribution and habitat: This species is known from Malaysia, with collections from Peninsular Malaysia (Selangor) and Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak). It grows on tree bark (corticolous) in lowland dipterocarp forests from sea level up to about 300 meters, including sites described as logging areas within otherwise virgin forest and virgin peat dipterocarp forest. The published records come from a small number of collections made in 1965.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:14 (CET).