Coccotrema porinopsis
Synonyms
Verrucaria porinopsis
Family
Coccotremataceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | Data Deficient | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Thallus crustose, spreading, of crowded, unequal, small granules and isidia; whitish grey or creamish-brown, usually with cephalodia.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Is, Radar Bush, Herekino Forest, Kawakawa) to Auckland, South Auckland (Te Aroha). South Island: Marlborough (Mt Stokes), Southland (Wilmot Pass). Stewart Island: (Magog, Hielanman, Fraser Peaks, Anchorage I., Islet Cove Port Pegasus). Still very poorly collected and understood in New Zealand.
Known also from Japan, China, Ceylon, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, New South Wales and Tasmania in Australia, and in southern Chile.
Habitat
In coastal forest as an epiphyte of Metrosideros excelsa and Weinmannia racemosa, rarely on maritime rocks.
Detailed description
Thallus crustose, spreading, 0.08-0.2 mm thick, of crowded, unequal, small granules and isidia, corticolous, rarely saxicolous. Upper surface whitish-grey or creamish-brown, without a definite margin, generally with cephalodia and isidia. Cephalodia plane to subglobose, dark pinkish-cream. Isidia cylindrical, to 0.8 mm tall and 0.1 mm thick, corticate, simple or branched. Apothecia immersed singly in small subglobose warts, to 1 mm diam., thalline margin isidiate, apically perforate, ringed with a pale pinkish-cream proper margin. Ascospores 8 per ascus, colourless, simple, ellipsoid, 40-70 × 20-30 µm with a wall 2.5-4 µm thick.
Chemistry: K + yellow → red, C-, KC+ red, Pd+ orange. Stictic, norstictic and salazinic acids.
Similar taxa
Coccotrema porinopsis is distinguished from C. cucurbitula by simple or branched, ±terete isidia, both on the thalline margin of the apothecia and also scattered on the upper surface of the thallus.
Substrate
Corticolous, rarely saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (25 June 2021). Information in the Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985, 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.