Peltigera lepidophora
Family
Peltigeraceae
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
Characterised by the terricolous habit; the small, ±cochleate lobes growing directly on soil, and with a tomentose upper surface and scattered to crowded, laminal isidia.
Distribution
South Island: Nelson (Mt Arthur), Canterbury (Castle Hill, upper Ashburton River, Rangitata Gorge, lower Godley Valley, Maitland Valley, Lake Ohau), Otago (Matukituki River), Southland (Eyre Mountains, Symmetry Peaks).
Circumpolar in the Northern Hemisphere (North America, Europe, Asia), also in Hawai’i and South America where it is known from Argentina and Chile.
Habitat
On sandy often calcareous exposed, gravelly, rather unvegetated soils and in sand of riverbeds and streams, in upland to alpine habitats, to 2000 m. Associating with Arthrohaphis citrinella, Candelariella vitellina, Cladia aggregata, species of Cladonia, Lecanora epibryon ssp. broccha, Lecidella wulfenii and Rinodina olivaceobrunnea. Moribund thalli sometimes colonised by Candelariella vitellina, Lecidella wulfenii and Rinodina olivaceobrunnea. In sand of riverbeds it occurs with soil-binding species of Placopsis such as P. clavifera, P. hertelii, P. subparellina and P. trachyderma. Still very poorly known in New Zealand.
Detailed description
Thallus small, (0.5–)1–2(–4) cm diam., rounded, level with or slightly sunken into substratum. Lobes concave, often crowded, ±cochleate, rarely ±plane, 2–6(–8) mm diam. Margins entire, sinuous, ascending, ±inrolled. Upper surface dark slatey blue-black to brownish when wet, olive-brownish to red-brown when dry, coriaceous, thinly white-tomentose in parts, or ±glabrous centrally and tomentose only at margins; isidiate. Isidia small, 0.2–0.5(–1) mm tall, rounded, corticate, button-like at first, becoming lobed with age, pale to dark red-brown, scattered to densely crowded. Lower surface pale yellow-buff to greyish or brownish, roughly tomentose. Veins indistinct. Rhizines scattered, simple to ±fasciculate, pale-buff to brown, 1–2 mm long. Apothecia not seen.
Chemistry: TLC−, all reactions negative.
Similar taxa
It is similar in gross morphology to the juvenile, sorediate phase of P. didactyla, but is distinguished from it by the presence of isidia and an absence of soredia.
Substrate
Terricolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (29 August 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa 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.