Cyphellostereum indicum is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling) basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It forms small, white to cream, fan-shaped fruiting bodies on short stalks that grow from the soil surface. The species was discovered in Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas and was described in 2023.
The species was described in 2023 by Sanjeevaâ¯Nayaka and Ambikesh Debnath from collections made in Arunachalâ¯Pradesh, a biodiversityâÂÂrich state in the eastern Himalayas.
The lichen forms solitary, fanâÂÂshaped () fruiting bodies (hymenophores) that are white to cream and borne on a short stalk. Each fan is only a few millimetres across and grows directly from the soil surface (a terricolous habit).
Microscopically, the fungal partner produces clubâÂÂshaped basidia measuring 16.7âÂÂ20.1â¯ÃÂâ¯2.5âÂÂ5.5 üm and very small, smooth, thinâÂÂwalled basidiospores that are irregular to "pipâÂÂshaped", measuring 3.18âÂÂ4.9â¯ÃÂâ¯2.06âÂÂ2.9 üm. The photosynthetic partner () is from the filamentous cyanobacterium genus Rhizonema, whose threads are 6âÂÂ8â¯ÃÂâ¯5.1âÂÂ6.9 üm. Fungal hyphae loosely envelope each filament rather than forming a tight sheath, and they develop superficial haustoria (minute projections used to draw nutrients from the cyanobacterium). As in many others in the genus, clamp connections are absent.