Degeliella versicolor
Synonyms
Lecanora versicolor, Psoroma versicolor, Psoromidium versicolor
Family
Pannariaceae
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, Sp
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; a thallus of flattened, scattered to contiguous squamules dispersed on a thin, furfuraceous prothallus; flattened or convex, plicate–radiate cephalodia with prominent, whitish, radiating striations when moist; discrete, rarely conglomerate apothecia with prominent, persistent margins; ascospores distinctly roughened–warted, spherical to oval–ellipsoidal, 9–12(–15.5) × 4.5–9(–13) μm.
Distribution
South Island: Westland (Alexander Range Camp Creek). Stewart Island: (Track from Disappointment Cove to Broad Bay) Auckland Islands: (Erebus Cove, Terror Cove, Laurie Harbour).
Known also from Tasmania and southern South America.
Habitat
On Stewart Island found on the bark of Myrsine australis, together with Degeliella rosulata, Megalaria pulverea, Menegazzia nothofagi, Pannaria nothofagi, P. sphinctrina. On bark of Fuchsia, Metrosideros umbellata, Myrsine australis, Neopanax and Weinmannia racemosa, lowland, coastal.
Some Tasmanian collections of D. versicolor are parasitised by Polycoccum jamesii, and this parasite occurs also on Port Pegasus populations of D. versicolor.
Detailed description
Thallus minutely squamulose, in irregular patches 1-2 cm diam. Squamules flattened, irregular, convex, 0.1-0.3 mm diam., ± confluent-imbricate centrally, scattered on a fine, thin, black prothallus marginally, pale yellow-green or olivaceous, paler at margins, matt or ± shining. Cephalodia 0.5-2.0 mm diam., plicate-radiate, pale greyish or bluish-yellow, ± conical centrally, overgrowing squamules centrally or scattered on prothallus at margins. Apothecia scattered, solitary to 2-3-confluent, mainly central, 0.1-2.5 mm diam., sessile, disc pale to dark red-brown, concave to plane or ± undulate-convex, matt, margins prominent, pale flesh-coloured to yellowish, consistently paler than disc, entire or crenulate, persistent, occasionally with a fringe of fine, white, silky hairs below. Paraphyses simple, coarsely submoniliform at apices. Ascospores ellipsoid with slightly pointed ends, 11-15.3 × 7-8.5 µm, wall smooth, 2 µm thick.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (14 September 2021). Information in the Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.