''Herpothallon elegans'' is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family

Arthoniaceae The Arthoniaceae are a family of lichenized, lichenicolous and saprobic fungi in the order Arthoniales. The Arthoniaceae is the largest family of Arthoniales, with around 800 species. Most species in Arthoniaceae belong in '' Arthonia'' which is ...

. Found in Peru, it was formally described as new to science in 2009 by the lichenologist Göran Thor. It contains

confluentic acid Confluentic acid is an organic compound belonging to the chemical class known as depsides. It serves as a secondary metabolite in certain lichens and plays a role in distinguishing closely related species within the genus ''Porpidia''. In 1899, ...

and lichexanthone as major lichen products. It is only known to occur in tropical rainforest at a couple of locations, with elevations of and about .

References

elegans Lichen species Lichens described in 2009 Lichens of Peru Taxa named by Göran Thor {{Arthoniomycetes-stub