Coccocarpia pellita
Family
Coccocarpiaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, SO
Distribution
North Island: Three Kings Is, Northland (Pandora, Kaitaia), Auckland (Rangitoto Island, Waitakere Ranges), South Auckland (Mt Maungatawhiri, Coromandel, Lake Rotoiti). South Island: Nelson (Lake Rotoiti), Otago (Routeburn Valley, Trotter’s Gorge).
Pantropical. Known also from Asia, Brazil, and Australia. It is still very much undercollected in New Zealand.
Habitat
An epiphyte of coastal broadleaved forest trees and shrubs, mainly in northern New Zealand, from s.l. to 400 m.
Detailed description
Thallus ± orbicular, to 6 cm diam. Lobes 0.3-0.6 cm wide, adjacent to somewhat imbricate, broadly cuneate to flabellate, apices rotund. Upper surface isidiate, often also with transverse, concentric ridges. Isidia flattened, squamulose, marginal or laminal. Rhizines pale, forming a ± dense matt on the lower surface.
Ascomata lecarnorine apothecia; disk convex, yellow-orange or brownish red, 1 mm diam. Exciple yellow−orange, 80 µm thick; epithecium 9 µm tall, orange to dark brown; hymenium 45−60 µm high, pale yellow; hypothecium 60 µm tall, light yellow to orange. Paraphyses simple, septate, sometimes with dilated apex, 45−50 µm high by 3−4 µm wide. Asci claviform, unitunicate, usually 8-spored, internal and/or external amyloid layers, 40−50 µm long by 8−11 µm wide. Ascospores simple, hyaline, ellipsoid to fusiform 10 x 4 µm. Pycnidia laminar or marginal, 0.06−0.10 (−0.22) mm in diameter, brown to black or bluish-black ostiole.
Similar taxa
Coccocarpia pellita is separated from C. palmicola on the basis of its squamiform isidia.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (5 August 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985) & (2007) & https://lichenportal.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=127676&clid=1298
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.