Bactrospora myriadea

Thallus and apothecia resemble that of several other lichens in our area. Initially, only by making a thin vertical slice of the apothecia (thin section) and inspecting it under a microscope can its identity be determined.  However, once identified and seen several times, one might begin to realize that a certain lichen has special preferences such as specific substrates, trees and light requirements. Other look-a-likes may have a different set of parameters. In this way, visual identification may be possible even for lichens that are very similar.