Leioderma erythrocarpum
Synonyms
Pannaria erythrocarpa
Family
Pannariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: SO, Sp
Brief description
Charaterised by the corticolous habit; and its arachnoid–hairy upper surface (×10 lens); a character shared only with its sorediate counterpart, Leioderma sorediatum.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (near Russell, Rakitu Island, Tapu Bush N. Kaipara). South Island: Marlborough (Motuara Island, around Cook’s Cairn).
Known also from Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, the Philippines, Sarawak, Indonesia, Java, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, the Marquesas Is, and New Caledonia.
Habitat
On bark and on rocks in Kunzea forest, s.l. to 200 m.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to irregularly spreading, 1–5(–8) cm diam., rather loosely attached. Lobes to 6 mm wide, laciniate, discrete to ±imbricate. Margins slightly thickened, shallowly undulate to sinuous, ±ascending, crenate, incised with squamulose to digitate phyllidia. Upper surface finely and ±uniformly arachnoid–hairy, often irregularly undulate or ± shallowly pitted, dark grey-blue when wet, pale buff-grey when dry, often with numerous brown-pink apothecial initials. Lower surface ecorticate, whitish to pale buff, arachnoid, with scattered tufts of white to blue-black rhizohyphae. Apothecia laminal, scattered to crowded, sessile, 1–2 mm diam., disc concave, pale red-brown to pinkish rarely dark brown or blackened; proper exciple prominent, persistent, transparent when wet, whitish when dry. Hymenium I+ persistent blue. Ascospores ellipsoidal, rather thick-walled, slightly roughened, 13–20(–23) × 6–12 μm.
Chemistry: TLC−, all reactions negative.
Similar taxa
Leioderma sorediatum
Fuscoderma
Substrate
Corticolous
Leioderma is a predominantly Southern Hemisphere genus in the Pannariaceae (Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004), most closely related to Erioderma, but distinguished from it by an absence of chemical characters and small, laminal apothecia (Jørgensen 2003). Seven species are currently known, with New Zealand (4 species), Australia and Ecuador (3 species) being the main present-day areas of speciation. It is absent from Africa, Europe and Asia (apart from the the Pacific seaboard), and from E of the Rockies and Andes in North and South America respectively, with the exception of L. glabrum in Brazil. It is thus a Gondwanaland genus with two major biogeographical elements: (1) a warm temperate–subtropical or Tethyan element comprising Leioderma erythrocarpum and its sorediate counterpart L. sorediatum, and also L. duplicatum and L. glabrum and (2) a cool temperate or austral element comprising L. pycnophorum, the generitype. Species of Leioderma are primarily corticolous, being epiphytes of forest trees and shrubs. The genus Fuscoderma (q.v.) was formerly included as a distinct subgenus of Leioderma.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (3 September 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Extra information sections copied from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Eriksson O.E., Baral H.-O., Currah R.S., Hansen K., Kurtzman C.P., Rambold G. & Laessøe T. 2004: Outline of Ascomycota – 2004. Myconet 10: 1-99.
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.
Jørgensen P.M. 2003: Conspectus familiae Pannariaceae (Ascomycetes lichenosae). Ilicifolia 4: 1-78.
Pennycook S.R. & Galloway D.J. 2004: Checklist of New Zealand “Fungi”. In: McKenzie, E.H.C. (Ed.) Introduction to fungi of New Zealand. Fungi of New Zealand/Ngā Harore o Aoteroa Volume 1. Fungal Diversity Research Series 14: 401-488.