Arthonia nigrocincta
Family
Arthoniaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | Data Deficient | Qualifiers: OL
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the pale greyish yellow to dull whitish, smooth, glossy to roughened or cracked, mosaic-forming thallus, delimited by a thin, black prothallus; round to oblong, sessile to innate, brown-black apothecia; and obovate, 4-septate ascospores, the end cell largest.
Distribution
North Island: Known from a few collections in Auckland; the first by Charles Knight in 1858, and the second by Peter de Lange in 2015 at Tawhitikino Beach (Auckland), the third from recorded from Herne Bay, Auckland by Marley Ford.
Habitat
In its most recent collection’s it was noted as corticolous on pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) near the beach, associated with the lichen Opegrapha aegalioides.
Detailed description
Thallus pale greyish-yellowish to dull whitish, smooth, shining to roughened-cracked in mosaics to 5 cm diam., delimited by a thin black line. Ascocarps irregular, sessile or ± innate, round to oblong, bent or curved, one end longer, matt, blackish brown. Ascospores obovate, 4-septate, end cell largest.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Peter de Lange and Marley Ford (10 July 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features sections sourced from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.