Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bungartz, F., (eds.) 2004. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 2.
Thallus: crustose, areolate, uniform or +placodioid at margins, +thin; attached by medullary or prothallial hyphae; prothallus: usually distinct, black, sometimes forming a rim around each areole cortex: composed of apically pigmented, anticlinal hyphae, with a hyaline epinecral layer photobiont: primary one a Myrmecia, secondary one absent Ascomata: apothecial, immersed, black, epruinose disc: circular, flat to slightly convex, often rough or wrinkled margin: black, sometimes with a poorly developed thalline part exciple: brown externally, hyaline within or brown throughout, narrow, thin, +persistent, K+ red at outer edge epihymenium: brown (K+ red, N+ red) hymenium: hyaline, I+ blue; paraphyses: mostly simple, rarely branched, free, septate, apical cell +clavate; hypothecium: hyaline or pale brown, K+ red asci: clavate, unitunicate, thick-walled, I+ pale blue; tholus I+ blue, uniformly K/I+ blue; 100-200-spored ascospores: hyaline, simple, ellipsoid to globose, thin walled, 2.5-4 x 2-3.5 µm, without a distinct perispore Conidiomata: pycnidial, immersed in thallus or in small warts; pleurogenously formed conidia: hyaline, simple, bacilliform, short-cylindrical Secondary metabolites: sometimes with a tridepside Substrate: on exposed hard siliceous rock, arctic-alpine to upper montane Geography: throughout the Northern Hemisphere and widely scattered in the Southern Hemisphere. Notes: Sporastatia is distinguished from Polysporina and Sarcogyne by its K/I+ blue apical dome of the ascus, and its generally better developed and delimited thallus. The genus is in need of revision in North America. Sporastatia has a hymenium that is blue-green above, whereas Acarospora and Sarcogyne have pale or brown hymenium above