Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.
Thallus: epilithic thick (up to 1.5 mm); prothallus: very inconspicuous or lacking areoles: irregular, up to 3 mm in diam., usually subdivided into much smaller units surface: pale gray to pale yellow (as in Lecanora marginata), esorediate medulla: white, I+ intensely violet; algal layer: 60-90 µm thick Apothecia: black, with strongly constricted base, up to 3 mm in diam. disc: black, flat, dull, epruinose margin: black, thick, prominent, persistent, undulate in the larger ascocarps, shiny exciple: Lecidea auriculata-type, blackish green peripherally, up to 200 µm wide, unpigmented inside or faintly reddish brown towards periphery, consisting of loosely interwoven, thin hyphae (1.3-1.7 µm in diam.), I+ deeply violet epihymenium: dark bright green to blue-green (cinereorufa-green), 10-18 µm thick hymenium: hyaline, 42-60 µm tall, I+ blue; paraphyses: simple, usually not branched and not anastomosing with capitate apical cells 4-5 µm in diam. subhymenium: hyaline, 8-10 µm thick hypothecium: pale yellowish brown, 90-140 µm thick asci: clavate, 40-50 x 11-15 µm, 8-spored ascospores: hyaline, simple, small, oblong, (6.5-)8-10.3(-13) x (2.3-)3.1-3.7(-4.5) µm Pycnidia: immersed, lens-shaped in outline conidia: cylindrical, 10.5-11.5 x 1-1.3 µm [studied in 2 specimens] Spot tests: cortex and medulla K-, C-, KC-, P- Secondary metabolites: confluentic acid syndrome. Substrate and ecology: in open alpine habitats on acidic rocks World distribution: holarctic (otherwise only known from a single locality in the Alps of Austria) Sonoran distribution: very rare in the alpine belt of Arizona (San Francisco Peaks, 3670 m). Notes: Lecidea sauteri is perhaps related to Lecidea auriculata. It is characterized by its very thick thallus (Lecidea auriculata usually is cryptothalline or, more rarely, has a thin thallus). No transition forms are known yet between these two species. Lecidea sauteri was first collected in 1849 in the Austrian Alps. Without success F. Arnold tried to recollect it at its original locality. Eventually a large and homogenous population was rediscovered in 1989 (see: Hertel, Lecideaceae Exs. no. 288). The species was named LECIDEA