Menegazzia aucklandica
Synonyms
Parmelia (Menegazzia) aucklandica Zahlbr.
Family
Parmeliaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened
Brief description
A rather variable species ranging from compact, often congested, thalli to rather loose-lobed radiating thalli with almost terete lobes. Perforations are always elevated and in extreme states have a collar-like rim.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (35-37ºS) to Wellington (Browns Track, Tinakori Hill), coastal. South Island: Nelson, Westland, Fiordland, inland Canterbury, coastal Otago (Swampy Spur, Flagstaff) and Southland.
Habitat
On trees and shrubs, s.l. to 1000 m.
Detailed description
Thallus closely to loosely attached, forming regular or irregular, complete or partial rosettes, irregularly encircling twigs, to 12 cm diam., often coalescing to form small colonies, corticolous. Lobes numerous, ± radiating at outer edges, medium, rather uniform, 1.5-2(-3) mm wide, distinct, occasionally discrete at margins, becoming intricately interwoven, zig-zag, markedly contorted centrally and there often copiously secondarily lobulate, terminal lobes ± subdichotomously branched, margins sinuous-angular-convoluted, entire, not, or sparingly blackened, apices concolorous with thallus, hollow, swollen, internal cavity white. Upper surface uneven, mostly convex, occasionally where lobes are bunched, forming ridges, pale greenish-grey, emaculate, ± rugose-uneven, ± matt, perforate, without soredia or isidia. Perforations frequent, mostly median, margins notably elevated, appearing slightly inflated, conical, sometimes with a collar-like rim, 0.5-1.0 mm diam., rounded, oval or crescentic. Apothecia scattered, adnate, 2-10 mm diam., cupuliform at first, margins smooth, crenulate, or with scattered fissures, shining, thinner at maturity, disc 3-7(-10) mm diam., red-brown, shining, epruinose, ± plane to convex, pedicellate, pedicel ± coarsely faveolate. Epithecium red-brown, without granules, c. 10 µm thick. Hymenium colourless, c. 100 µm tall. Paraphyses not thickened at apices. Asci oval, 90-100 × 40-45 µm, 2-spored. Ascospores ellipsoid to subspherical, 48-60 × 32-40 µm [Zahlbruckner, loc. cit. gives 38-50 × 17-22 µm], wall 3-5 µm thick.
Chemistry: Medulla K+ yellow-orange, C−, KC+ orange, Pd+ orange; containing atranorin, stictic, constictic and menegazziaic acids and an accessory compound.
Similar taxa
The 2-spored asci distinguish it from M. pertransita, and the absence of granules in the epithecium, from M. lucens – these two latter species also have differing chemistries. It differs from the Australian species M. platytrema (Müll.Arg.) R.Sant., in the white internal cavity and slightly broader ascospores.
Substrate
Corticolous
Etymology
aucklandica: Of the Auckland Islands
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (5 August 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.