Lecanora rupicola
Common name
White rim lichen
Synonyms
Lichen rupicola
Family
Lecanoraceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, SO
Brief description
Characterised by the saxicolous habit; and the pale-brown, to blackish, flat to convex apothecial discs, covered with a fine, grey-white, to bluish-white-pruina reacting C+ yellow-orange.
Distribution
North Island: Wellington (Kapiti I.). South Island: Canterbury (Devil’s Gap, East Peak, near Mt Sinclair, Banks Peninsula, McKenzie country), Otago (Poolburn Reservoir, Manorburn, Teviot River, Kakanui Mountains, Horse Ra., Old Man Ra., Waikouaiti, Maungatua).
Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Asia, Australia.
Habitat
On sunny, exposed rock outcrops and slabs in subalpine grassland in full sunlight, and also occasionally on roofs of underhangs of schist tors in high-alpine habitats, 450–1650 m (Galloway 2002b).
Detailed description
Thallus white to grey, pale fawn-buff, rather smooth, areolate cracked, areolae minute, angular, ± convex, often intersected by dark lines of prothallus, forming mosaics on flat rocks 5-8(-10) cm diam. Apothecia sessile, often subinnate at first, 0.2-1.5 mm diam., disc pale brown, white or grey-pruinose, C+ orange, pruina thin to dense, concave to plane to subconvex, margins thin, entire or crenulate, concolorous with thallus. Ascospores ellipsoid, 10-14 × 6-7 µm.
Chemistry: Thallus K+ yellow, C−, KC+ yellow; apothecial disc C+ yellow or orange, KC+ orange; containing sordidone, atranorin, roccellic acid in the apothecia and atranorin and roccellic acid in the thallus (Leuckert & Poelt 1989). Lumbsch & Elix (2004: 54) also record chloroatranorin (minor) and eugenitol (minor) from this species.
The group is discussed by Leuckert & Poelt (1989) who define infraspecific taxa and chemodemes within each species. This aggregate deserves closer study in New Zealand where it seems best developed on rocks in upland and alpine habitats of Central Otago (Galloway 2002). The thallus is often parasitised by Rimularia insularis that gradually grows throughout the hyphae of the host, taking over the host’s photobiont cells. Apothecial discs are sometimes also parasitised by Arthonia glaucomaria and A. varians* (Baron 1999: 49, fig. 39), causing the discs to become blackened. Leuckert & Poelt (1989: 129) record the following lichenicolous taxa from L. rupicola: Buellia sp.*, Opegrapha maculans* (Arnold) Hafellner, Rhizocarpon inimicum* Poelt & Vĕzda and Rinodina insularis* (Arnold) Hafellner.
Similar taxa
It is part of a group of related lichens that include Lecanora bicincta and Lecanora swartzii. Can also be confused with Lecanora farinacea.
Substrate
Saxicolous
Etymology
rupicola: From the Latin rupes ‘rock, cliff’ and -cola ‘dweller’, refers to the usual habitat of the species
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (5 July 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections sourced from Galloway (1985, 2007).
References and further reading
Baron G. 1999: Understanding lichens. Slough, Richmond.
Galloway D.J. 1985: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens. Wellington: PD Hasselberg, Government Printer. 662 pp.
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.