A member of Lecanora hybocarpa aggregate. Material referred to the American species Lecanora hybocarpa has now been shown not to belong to this species but to include three cryptic species in Britain: Lecanora sinuosa, L. subsinuosa & L. cryptosinuosa (Arup et al, 2025). The contorted morphs that were called Lecanora sinuosa are also shown to be extreme forms of Lecanora sinuosa or L. subsinuosa. The cryptic species have some slight morphological differences, but can only reliably be told apart by DNA analysis. Arup et al (2025) recommended that morphological identified material is called Lecanora hybocarpa s. lat. for the time being.
Similar to Lecanora sinuosa but differs in the nrITS region. The species is recognised by its unique barcode in ITS1, a 17-nucleotide motif CCAGTGGGGTCGCCCGC c. 110 bp after the start of ITS1 (Arup et al, 2025).
The new species falls into the variability of L. sinuosa and Arup et al (2025) observed only minor differences, such as typically crowded apothecia in L. sinuosa compared to scattered or distributed in groups in L. cryptosinuosa. So far pycnidia are unknown in L. sinuosa but common in L. cryptosinuosa. Nevertheless, without DNA sequence data L. cryptosinuosa cannot reliably be distinguished from L. hybocarpa, L. sinuosa and L. subsinuosa.
Lecanora cryptosinuosa is so far known from three specimens collected on bark of deciduous trees (Corylus avellana, Malus domestica and an unknown tree). It occurs in very humid and light oceanic subtropical and temperate forests in Madeira, La Palma (the Canary Islands) and the Scottish coast in Argyll. The single British location was from old growth Atlantic Hazel wood in temperate rainforest habitat (Arup et al, 2025).
Described from Hazel bark in an old growth Atlantic Hazel wood on Eilean Mhic Chrion, Ardfern, Lochgilphead, Argyll (Arup et al, 2025).
So far only known from a single site in Britain an old growth temperate rainforest. Best regarded as Data Deficient as it could be Threatened, even Critically Endangered or it could be Least Concern.
Arup, U., Malíček, J., Schiefelbein, U. & Holien, H. (2025) Lecanora hybocarpa and similar European species. The Lichenologist 57:239-255. doi:10.1017/S0024282925101291
Text by Neil A Sanderson based on Arup et al (2025).