Melanohalea zopheroa
Synonyms
Parmelia zopheroa Essl., Melanelia zopheroa (Essl.) Essl.
Family
Parmeliaceae
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: DP, SO
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the olive-green to dark-brown thalli with laminal, white pseudocyphellae; commonly developed apothecia; and no medullary chemistry.
Distribution
South Island: Canterbury (Gapes Valley, Waipara, Godley Valley, Cass), Otago (St Bathans Range, Becks).
Also in Chile.
Habitat
Mainly East of the Main Divide on twigs of divaricating shrubs (Discaria, Melicytus) in subalpine grasslands.
Detailed description
Thallus closely attached centrally, often raised at margins and lobe ends, 3-7 cm diam. Lobes 3-7(-10) mm broad, ± flat, broad and rounded, contiguous to imbricate. Upper surface olive-green to olive-brown or dark brown, smooth to weakly wrinkled at margins, often strongly wrinkled-plicate centrally, matt or slightly shining at lobe apices, sometimes with a scattered, light pruina, pseudocyphellae laminal, numerous, small, white, isidia and soredia absent. Lower surface pale tan to dark brown, smooth to wrinkled, moderately rhizinate. Rhizines ± concolorous with lower surface, to 1 mm long. Apothecia common, sessile or subpedicellate, concave, to 6 mm diam., margins entire, pseudocyphellate. Ascospores ellipsoid to cylindrical 8-15 × 5-8 µm.
Chemistry: TLC−, all reactions negative.
Similar taxa
The presumed fertile counterpart of the sorediate species Melanohalea inactiva.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (28 December 2023). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985) & Galloway (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.