Lecanactis tibelliana
Family
Roccellaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | Data Deficient
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the sulphur-yellow thallus; grey- to yellow-pruinose apothecial discs; 3-septate, fusiform ascospores, 27–43 × 3.5–5 μm; and schizopeltic acid in the medulla.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Orewa), Auckland (Waitakere Range).
Habitat
On bark of trees (Metrosideros excelsa) in coastal forest.
Detailed description
Thallus epiphloeodal, sulphur-yellow, continuous or cracked, when well-developed wrinkled or granular, to 500 μm thick. Apothecia rounded to irregular, 0.3–2 mm diam., numerous, scattered singly or in groups of 2–3 and then deformed through mutual pressure, sessile, constricted at base, covered with a whitish, greyish or yellowish pruina. Margin at first thick, elevated above disc, persistent, at maturity and then rather thin. Disc plane to subconvex. Hymenium 90–120 μm tall, I+ blue. Hypothecium 35–50 μm thick, clear-brown. Paraphysoids, branched and somewhat anastomosing, 1–1.5 μm thick, their apices swollen and covered with a granular, brown cap. Asci cylindrical–clavate, 75–100 × 14–15 μm. Ascospores fusiform, with one of the apices attenuated, straight, 3-septate, 27–40(–45) × (3.5–)4–5 μm. Pycnidia immersed to semi-immersed, solitary or aggregated in groups, ±rounded, the ostiole wide, occasionally covered with a thin yellowish pruina, subglobose to pyriform, 600 μm tall and 550 μm wide, the wall obscure brownish above, paler below. Microconidia 9–13 × 1–1.5 μm, somewhat curved. Macroconidia 12–20 × 2–3 μm, straight or slightly curved.
Chemistry: Thallus K− or K+ yellow-orange, C− or C+ yellowish, KC−, Pd−; containing schizopeltic acid.
Substrate
Liginicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (16 February 2024). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa 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.