Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Graphis intricata Fée

liquen de escritura, Script lichen

Graphis intricata Photo: Frank Bungartz, CDF, 2008.
Graphis intricata Photo: Frank Bungartz, CDF, 2008.

Thallus thin, continuous to rimose, white to whitish gray, or creamy white; surface dull, not pruinose; Apothecia erumpent, lirellate; lirellae thin, elongate and moderately branched; labia thin, entire, shiny black, not covered by the thallus, but basally with lateral thallus hem; disc concealed, a thin slit; exciple completely carbonized, carbonization extending below the hymenium; hymenium hyaline, clear (not inspers), I–; ascospores hyaline, I+ bluish violet, 8 per ascus, ellipsoid to broadly fusiform, 20-28 x 6-8 µm, transversely septate, 5-8 celled. Chemistry: Norstictic acid; K+ orange-red (forming needle shaped crystals).

Galapagos specimens contain norstictic acid and thus belong to G. intricata, not G. subamylacea.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Fungi

Phylum
Ascomycota

Class
Lecanoromycetes

Order
Ostropales

Family
Graphidaceae

Genus
Graphis

Species
intricata

Taxon category: Accepted

Origin: Native

Status

Least concern

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: World distribution poorly known; previously reported from Galapagos as G. subamylacea (see notes), most common in the transition and humid zone, in open forest, mostly on native trees and shrubs like Psidium galapageium, Bursera graveolens, Pisonia floribunda, and Chiococca alba.

References

  • Bungartz, F. Lücking, R. & Aptroot, A. (2009) The lichen family Graphidaceae (Ostropales, Lecanoromycetes) in the Galapagos Islands. Nova Hedwigia 90: 1-44.

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This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Graphis intricata", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=3964. Accessed 4 April 2026.