Leproplaca cirrochroa

Leproplaca cirrochroa is a widespread and common species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It grows up to 5 cm across, featuring a thallus with narrow, finger-like  that adhere closely to the surface, showing intricate division and ranging in colour from dirty orange to brownish orange, often with paler,  orange ends.

Taxonomy
The species was first scientifically described by Swedish lichenologist Erik Acharius in 1814, as a member of the genus Lecanora. Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred it to the genus Leproplaca in 2013, following a molecular phylogenetics-based restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae.

Description
Leproplaca cirrochroa is a distinctive lichen species that can grow up to 5 cm across. Its thallus is, forming narrow, finger-like that are closely  against the. These lobes are intricately divided and arranged in irregularly rounded formations or sometimes as small, scattered, or contiguous thalli. The colouration of Leproplaca cirrochroa ranges from dirty to brown-orange, with the ends of the lobes often having a and paler orange hue.

The lobe ends are typically about 0.2–0.5 mm wide, rounded, and occasionally forked. They are shallowly convex and elongated, often lying contiguous to each other and separated by almost parallel-aligned furrows. Soralia are usually present on the laminal surface and are scattered across the thallus. These soralia are small and flat, rounded, and can be up to 0.8 mm in diameter. The soredia produced are and lemon-yellow in colour.

Apothecia (fruiting bodies) are rare in Leproplaca cirrochroa, measuring up to 0.5 mm in diameter and scattered across the thallus. When present, the apothecia are flat with a persistent that is orange in colour. The of the apothecia is a deeper orange shade. The paraphyses (filament-like support structures) are and mostly not swollen at the tips. are narrowly ellipsoid, measuring 10–15 by 5 μm with a septum that is 2–3 μm wide, which is less than one-third of the length of the ascospore. All parts of this lichen react with a K+ (purple) colouration when subjected to chemical spot tests.

Habitat and distribution
Leproplaca cirrochroa is widely distributed, having been recorded from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America.