Austromelanelixia glabratuloides
Synonyms
Melanelia glabratuloides, Melanelixia glabratuloides, Parmelia glabratuloides
Family
Parmeliaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the thin, rather delicate thallus; the slightly compressed isidia; gyrophoric acid in the medulla; and the absence of cortical hairs.
Distribution
North Island: Taranaki (Inglewood on Photinia), Wellington (Hihitahi Forest N of Taihape). South Island: Canterbury (Boyle River), Otago (Hunter Valley), Southland (Te Anau).
Still rather poorly collected.
Habitat
On bark of southern beech (Fuscospora spp.) and introduced shrubs.
Detailed description
Thallus ± closely attached throughout, to 6 cm diam. Lobes 1-3 mm broad, flat, short and rounded to somewhat elongate, contiguous to imbricate. Upper surface pale olive-tan to olive-brown, distinctly maculate at lobe ends, finely pitted or wrinkled near apices, more so centrally, shining at apices, matt centrally, isidiate, soredia and pseudocyphellae absent. Isidia cylindrical or slightly compressed, simple or branched, 3 mm tall. Lower surface black, paler or tan at margins, smooth to wrinkled, dull to shining, moderately rhizinate. Rhizines concolorous with lower surface, to 0.5 mm long. Apothecia rare, sessile to subpedicellate, ± flat, to 1.5 mm diam., margins isidiate. Ascospores ovoid, 9-12 × 5.5-7. µm.
Chemistry: Cortex K−; medulla K−, C+ rose, KC+ rose, Pd−; containing gyrophoric acid.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (14 December 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features sections copied from Galloway (1985) & Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 1985: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens. Wellington: PD Hasselberg, Government Printer. 662 pp.
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.