Notoparmelia subtestacea
Synonyms
Parmelia subtestacea Hale, Smiths.
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
Characterised by the corticolous habit; the adnate to closely adnate thallus, irregularly lobed with frequent production of roundish to flaring, marginal secondary lobes; by the relatively sparse, mostly marginal pseudocyphellae; the sparse to moderately dense rhizines; and echinocarpic acid and ±unidentified compound #27 in the medulla.
Distribution
North Island: Wellington (Tongariro National Park). South Island: Nelson (Lake Rotoiti, Mt Rochfort) to Southland (Tuatapere). Stewart Island: (Port Pegasus). Both west but mainly east of the Main Divide.
Habitat
Common on roadside Fuscospora, and other trees (Griselinia lucida, Kunzea, Metrosideros umbellata) in forested areas; mainly on canopy twigs, s.l. to 600 m. Above this height, species of the N. crambidiocarpa group occur.
Detailed description
Thallus adnate, usually thin and rather brittle, pale greenish grey, 5–12 cm diam. Lobes sublinear to mostly subirregular, short, imbricate, 1–5 mm wide, usually with marginal secondary lobes, 1–2 mm wide, flaring to rounded, developing with age. Upper surface glossy, plane to distinctly wrinkled–faveolate, continuous, without soredia or isidia. Pseudocyphellae forming a nearly continuous white rim 0.1–0.2 mm wide around main and secondary lobes, also laminal on main or older lobes, discrete, sparse, 0.2–0.4 mm long, usually not fissuring with age. Lower surface black, sparsely to moderately rhizinate, but with a distinct naked to papillate brown marginal zone. Rhizines simple to furcate to sparsely squarrosely branched, 0.5–1.5 mm long. Apothecia common, subpedicellate, generally remaining flat, but sometimes cupuliform, 4–20 mm diam., the disc very pale brown, rarely darkening, splitting radially at maturity; the exciple wrinkled and effigurate-pseudocyphellate. Hymenium 60–65 μm tall. Ascospores 11–15 × 7–10 μm; perispore 1–1.5 μm thick. Pycnidia numerous, 90–100 μm diam. Conidia cylindrical, bacillar to weakly bifusiform, 5.5–6.5 μm long.
Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow, C−, Pd+ yellow; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, echinocarpic acid, with or without unidentified compound #27, or rarely with compound #27 alone, ±fatty acids.
Similar taxa
Morphologically it is indistinguishable from N. testacea, but this latter species has salazinic acid in the medulla.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (1 February 2023). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Extra information sections copied from Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway D.J. 2007: Flora of New Zealand: Lichens, including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. 2nd edition. Lincoln, Manaaki Whenua Press. 2261 pp.