Menegazzia aeneofusca
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: Sp
Brief description
Characterised by the saxicolous/muscicolous habit; its ±regular thallus rosettes; the dark colour; and 2-spored asci.
Distribution
South Island: Nelson (St Arnaud Range), Canterbury (Godley Valley) east of Main Divide to Otago (Dart River, Old Man Range, Rock & Pillar Range, Dansey’s Pass) and eastern foothill ranges at Dansey Pass. Stewart Island: (Mt Anglem, Glory Cove). Recently found in Marlborough and Banks Peninsula.
Known also from SE Australia and Tasmania.
Habitat
Alpine-subalpine on rocks or amongst mats of Andreaea, usually 700-2000 m but recorded at sea level on Stewart Island (Glory Cove).
Detailed description
Thallus ± orbicular, in closely-attached often regular rosettes, or spreading, to 8 cm diam., saxicolous. Lobes rather short, to 1.5(-2.0) mm wide, irregularly dichotomously branched, not extended at apices, ± strongly contiguous at margins, ± congested-imbricate centrally, outer lobes smooth, glossy, centrally wrinkled-scrobiculate or corrugate, matt, margins rounded or shallowly incised, olive-green or brown or blackened, sometimes pale green-grey centrally, apices chestnut-brown, glossy, often grey-white-maculate, internal cavity black. Perforations rather large, infrequent, to 1 mm long, ± oval, in median line of lobes, plane with surface of lobes. Lower surface black, shining, glabrous, markedly scrobiculate, brownish at margins, eperforate. Apothecia often frequent, central, 0.5-2.5 mm diam., sessile, rounded, disc concave to ± plane, red-brown to dark brown, shining, epruinose, exciple smooth, shining, ± ridged, margins thick, entire, shining, concolorous with thallus. Epithecium granular, pigmented. Ascospores 2 per ascus, smooth, oval 44-52 × 17-20 µm, wall 3 µm thick.
Chemistry: Stictic, constictic, norstictic and menegazziaic acids and accessory substances, medulla K+ yellow → orange, C-, KC+ orange, Pd+ orange.
Similar taxa
Menegazzia aeneofusca and its sorediate counterpart M. castanea are the only exclusively saxicolous species of the genus. Both occur on alpine and subalpine rocks. M. aeneofusca is distinguished by its often ± regular rosettes, the dark colour and the 2-spored asci.
Substrate
Saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (26 June 2021). Information in the Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985, 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.