Lecanora bicincta
Family
Lecanoraceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | Data Deficient
Brief description
Characterised by the saxicolous habit (high-alpine overhanging or vertical rock faces); the white, areolate thallus (C−) and the subimmersed apothecia having a blue-black disc thickly covered with white pruina (pruina C+ brilliant yellow indicating presence of sordidone).
Distribution
South Island: Otago (Old Man Range, Poolburn Reservoir, Manorburn, Teviot River near lake Onslow, Rock & Pillar Range, Flagstaff near Dunedin).
Known also from Europe, Scandinavia, the Balkans, South Africa, North America and Australia (New South Wales).
Habitat
A predominantly high-alpine species occurring on overhanging or vertical hard, smooth schist rocks, together with species of Aspicilia, Lecanora cavicola, L. polytropa, L. rupicola, L. swartzii, Protoparmelia badia, Ramalina fimbriata, Rhizocarpon, and Xanthoparmelia xanthomelaena and, like L. rupicola, also on sun-exposed rocks, 650–1600 m.
Detailed description
Thallus crustose, thick, areolate, spreading in irregular bands or patches, (0.5–)1–2(–2.5) cm diam., without a delimiting prothallus. Upper surface smooth, to somewhat roughened, white, tartareous, cracks between areolae very narrow to somewhat gaping. Apothecia scattered, rather sparse, rounded (0.05–)0.01–0.05(–0.8) mm diam., subimmersed in areolae at first, becoming sessile at maturity, margins concolorous with thallus, only very slightly raised; disc plane to subconvex, blue-black, thickly white-pruinose (pruina C+ brilliant yellow), often difficult to distinguish from remainder of thallus. Epithecium brownish green (N+ red). Hymenium 60–70 μm tall. Ascospores ellipsoidal, 8–15 × 5–8 μm.
Chemistry: Thallus K+ yellow, C−, Pd−; disc K−, C+ brilliant yellow, Pd−; containing atranorin and sordidone. Lumbsch & Elix (2004: 24) give the chemistry as atranorin (major), sordidone (major), thiophanic acid (submajor), norstictic acid (submajor), arthothelin (minor), chloroatranorin (minor), ±connorstictic acid (minor) and eugenitol (minor).
Lecanora bicincta is part of the L. rupicola aggregate and in Europe four chemodemes are recognised (Leuckert & Poelt 1989). It is still poorly collected and understood in New Zealand, where at present it is known from a few high-alpine habitats in Central Otago and from Flagstaff Hill above Dunedin (Galloway 2002). The lichenicolous fungus *Arthonia glaucomaria Nyl. (q.v.) is reported as parasitising apothecial discs of L. bicincta (Leuckert & Poelt 1989: 128) and should be looked for in New Zealand populations. Other lichenicolous fungi parasitising Lecanora carpinea are *Arthonia varians (Davies) Nyl. and *Rimularia insularis.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (31 August 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Extra information sections copied from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 2002: Notes on high-alpine species of Lecanora from schist underhangs in southern New Zealand, and a new name for L. parmelinoides. Australasian Lichenology 51: 20-32.
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.
Leuckert C. and Poelt J. 1989: Studien über die Lecanora rupicola-Gruppe in Europa (Lecanoraceae). Nova Hedwigia 49: 121-167.
Lumbsch H.T. and Elix J.A. 2004: Lecanora. Flora of Australia 56A: 12-62.