Fuscopannaria subimmixta
Synonyms
Pannaria subimmixta
Family
Pannariaceae
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 terricolous/saxicolous habit; the very prominent thalline exciple and dark discs of the apothecia; and the white-pruinose margins of the sometimes nearly cylindrical lobes of the thallus. It is rather variable in form, from solitary, flat, little-divided squamules to ±imbricate, digitately divided squamules with almost isidia-like lobes. The upper surface on specimens from exposed habitats is smooth, subnitid and brownish, while specimens from shaded habitats are matt and olivaceous-grey. The apothecial discs vary in colour from brown to black, being darker in more exposed habitats.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands, Russell, Hen Island, Little Barrier Island, Great Barrier Island), Auckland (Cornwall Park), South Auckland (Kauaeranga Gorge near Thames, Waikawau Bay Coromandel Peninsula, Lake Rotomahana, Whale Island), Wellington (Raetihi). South Island: Nelson (Kaihoka Lakes), Marlborough (Queen Charlotte Sound), Canterbury (Banks Peninsula), Otago (Bendigo, Raggedy Range N of Alexandra, Saddle Hill, Dunedin, Taieri Mouth). Stewart Island: (Thule, Paterson Inlet).
Also in eastern Australia and recorded from South Africa (Table Mountain) and southern South America (rare).
Habitat
On rock, friable greywacke clays or on clay banks. Often associating with mosses and squamules of Cladonia, in open, well-lit, mainly coastal habitats, in forest or on roadside cuttings; and with tufts of mosses, protecting and consolidating old mortar in archaeological ruins in various sites in Central Otago.
Detailed description
Thallus crustose, minutely foliose-squamulose, orbicular to spreading, to 8 cm diam., with a prominent, blue-black, byssoid prothallus projecting to 5 mm beyond lobe margins, saxicolous or terricolous. Squamules 0.2-2 mm diam., convex, rosette-shaped, imbricate, margins crenate-incised becoming lobulate, (not to be confused with isidia). Upper surface yellow-brown to grey-blue, shining, whitish or grey-blue-pruinose at margins, without isidia or soredia. Lower surface pale at margins, bluish-black centrally. Apothecia frequent, often clustered, rounded, to 2 mm diam., disc brown at first, becoming dark-brown to black with age, plane to convex, thalline margin prominent, slightly scabrid, ± entire to crenate or rarely sublobulate. Ascospores ellipsoid, 14-18(-20) × 9-13 µm.
Chemistry: Occasionally ursolic acid and a UV+ yellow pigment.
Substrate
Terricolous, saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (17 May 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.