Cryptothecia bartlettii
Family
Arthoniaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | Data Deficient
Brief description
Most easily recognised by: the corticolous habit; and the loosely attached grey to whitish grey thallus that is C+ red (gyrophoric acid); paraphysoids loosely enclosing asci; and ovoid ascospores often slightly constricted just below mid-point (50–)70–85(–95) × 20–30(–33) μm.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Te Paki, Radar Bush, Waiwera Scenic Reserve, Te Huka, Herekino Gorge, Church Road Scenic Reserve near Kaitaia, Okaihau Hill).
First collected by the late John Bartlett.
Habitat
On bark of Agathis australis, Beilschmiedia tarairi, Leptospermum scoparium agg., Rhopalostylis sapida, and Vitex lucens in northern coastal forest, 100-300 m.
Detailed description
Thallus up to 10 cm diam., loosely attached to substratum, smooth, dull grey to whitish grey, with paler, sometimes slightly raised areas, up to 0.6 mm thick, prothallus usually distinct, whitish, byssoid. Medulla whitish with many calcium oxalate crystals (5–25 μm diam.). Photobiont green, Trentepohlia-like, cells single or a few cells aggregated, 6–15 × 5–10 μm. Isidia not seen but with a few, globose, isidia-like structures, 0.1 mm diam. Paraphysoids enclosing the asci loosely attached. Asci frequent, weakly aggregated, often covered by a blackish amorphous tissue enclosed by whitish hyphae, usually with spores, monosporous or rarely 2-spored, with or without a distinct ocular chamber, 90–105 × 50–65 μm. Ascospores frequent, ovoid, often slightly constricted just below mid-point (50–)70–85(–95) × 20–30(–33) μm. Pycnidia infrequent, developed in zone between different thalli, solitary, immersed to slightly elevated, black, 0.05 mm diam. Conidia bacillar, slightly curved, 5–6(–7) × 1 μm.
Chemistry: Thallus K−, C+ red, Pd−, UV+ pale grey-white; containing gyrophoric acid.
Substrate
Corticolous, saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (28 December 2023). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features sections copied 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.