Lecania hydrophobica

Lecania hydrophobica is a species of crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. Found in Alaska, it was described as a new species in 2020 by Toby Spribille and Alan Fryday. The type specimen was collected in the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area of Glacier Bay National Park. Here it was found at an altitude of 9 m growing on a vertical shale outcrop. The specific epithet hydrophobic refers to the hydrophobic (water-repelling) properties of the lichen, which are possibly imparted by the wax-like filaments on the surface of the apothecial disc. Lecania hydrophobica is abundant on sheltered rock overhangs in the type locality, and is also known to occur further south – on southern Baranof Island, and in British Columbia.