Description

 Life habit: lichenized; Thallus: crustose, areolate to subsquamulose, margin abrupt at edge, without elongated lobes; prothallus: absent; surface: yellowish orange, smooth, without asexual propagules; Apothecia: adnate, 0.4-1 mm in diam., lecanorine; disc: dark reddish orange, flat, epruinose; margin: persistent, flush; thalline margin present, concolorous with thallus; proper margin visible, concolorous with disc; parathecium: irregular hyphae; exciple below hypothecium cellular (paraplectenchymatous); hymenium: hyaline, 60-70 µm tall; paraphyses: 1-2 tip cells swollen, frequently branched; subhymenium hyaline; asci: cylindrical, 8-spored; ascospores: hyaline, 2 locules, ellipsoid, (11-)12.5-14(-15.5) x 5.5-7 µm, isthmus 1.5-3(3.5) µm, spore end wall thin; Pycnidia: not observed; Spot tests: apothecial margin K+ red; thallus K+ red; Secondary metabolites: parietin and emodin.; Substrate and ecology: on bark, especially Juniperus; World distribution: southwestern North America; Sonoran distribution: Arizona at intermediate elevations.; Notes: Caloplaca arizonica has a yellow-orange areolate thallus and resembles C. flavovirescens but that species is on rock. The apothecia of C. arizonica are dark red-brown without a thalline margin.