Calopadia subcoerulescens
Synonyms
Lopadium subcoerulesens Zahlbr., Chlorocyphella lichenicola Keissl.
Family
Pilocarpaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by the foliicolous habit; the continuous to dispersed, smooth, greenish grey to grey-white, matt or subnitid thallus without a marginal prothallus; often abundant greyish campylidia oriented in the same direction; a black apothecial disc with greyish margins; and a bluish hypothecium 40–60 μm tall.
Distribution
North Island: Wellington (Totara Reserve Pohangina Valley, Kitchener Park Feilding, Hutt Valley). South Island: Canterbury (Peel Forest), Otago (Woodside Glen), Southland (Dolamore Park, Gore).
Known also from China, India, South Africa, Réunion, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia (Queensland), the Dominican Republic and Mexico.
Habitat
On leaves of Alectryon excelsus, Asplenium bulbiferum, Beilschmiedia tawa, Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, Lophomyrtus bullata, Podocarpus totara, Pseudowintera colorata, and Polystichum vestitum in lowland forest, especially at bush margins in partially shaded, humid habitats.
Detailed description
Thallus 12-22 mm diam., continuous or somewhat dispersed at periphery, smooth, greenish-grey to greyish-white, matt or slightly shining, prothallus lacking. Apothecia constricted at base, 0.3-0.5 mm diam., disc black, epruinose, plane, margins thin, grey, smooth. Paraphyses c. 1.5 µm thick, simple or with some few branches. Hypothecium bluish, 40-60 µm tall. Asci clavate. Ascospores 1 per ascus, muriform, ellipsoid, 55-80 × 13-20 µm.
Similar taxa
Similar to Calopladia puiggarii but with black rather than dark grey-brown to brown-black apothecia, and a bluish rather than dark-brown hypothecium, which is 40-60 μm tall rather than 10-20 μm.
Sérusiaux (1979) includes C. subcoerulescens within the variation of C. puiggarii.
Substrate
Foliicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (21 January 2024). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa 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.
Sérusiaux E. 1979: Foliicolous lichens from southeastern United States. Bryologist 82: 88-93.