Peltigera polydactylon
Synonyms
Lichen polydactylus
Family
Peltigeraceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by the muscicolous/terricolous/saxicolous habit; linear–elongate lobes with wavy, ascendent margins that are often phyllidiate; it has a glabrous, glossy upper surface; ±erect apothecia on involute stalks; simple to fasciculate, rather short rhizines which are often in rows or with ±confluent bases at the margins; and with hopane triterpenoids in the medulla.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands, Radar Bush, Kawerua, Whangarei, Great Barrier Island), Auckland (Northcote), South Auckland (Moehau Coromandel Peninsula, Te Aroha, Kaimai Ranges, Hatepe), Gisborne (Aniwanawa), Hawke’s Bay (Puketitiri), Wellington (Ruahine Ranges, Akitio, Tararua Ranges, Orongorongo Ranges). South Island: Nelson (Kaituna Gorge, Flora Saddle, Mole Tops, Pelorus Bridge, Maruia Springs), Westland (Kelly’s Creek, Greymouth, Haast, Waiatoto), Marlborough (Anakiwa, Wairau Valley, Kaikoura), Canterbury (Bealey River, Craigieburn Range, Hinewai Reserve Banks Peninsula, Sealey Lakes, Peel Forest, Huxley Gorge Lake Ohau), Otago (Aspiring Hut, Rees Valley, Hidden Falls Stream, Beans Burn, Dunstan Mts, Merton, Whare Flat, Taieri Mouth, Kaka Point, Blue Mts, Tautuku Bay), Southland (Milford Sound, McKinnon Pass, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Manapouri, Monowai, Waihopai Reserve Invercargill, Seaward Bush, Longwood Range, Port Craig). Stewart Island: (Mt Anglem, Glory Cove, Ocean Beach, Anchorage Island, Port Pegasus, Wilson Bay). Auckland Islands. Campbell Island.
Widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, South America and Australia.
Habitat
In moderate shade to high-light habitats on soil, among mosses and litter and rotting logs on the forest floor; on rocks, roadside banks, subalpine bogs and scrub; s.l. to 1800 m.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to irregularly spreading, 2–8(–15) cm diam. Lobes irregular, linear–laciniate, ±discrete at apices, overlapping centrally, 0.5–1.5 cm wide, 1.5–3(–4) cm long. Margins entire, wavy, slightly thickened below, ±ascendent, often lacerate–incised to ±phyllidiate, or here and there with small, fuzzy, brownish apothecial initials. Upper surface glabrous, dark leaden-grey to blue-black when wet, pale blue-grey to somewhat brownish when dry, minutely maculate close to margins (×10 lens), glossy to matt, undulate, wrinkled, dimpled or ±bullate in parts, often irregularly longitudinally or laterally cracked with small phyllidia occasionally regenerating from margins of cracks. Lower surface tomentose, pale or whitish at margins, to buff or dark-brown centrally. Veins rather flattened to raised, 0.5–1.5 mm diam., pale-buff to dark-brown at margins, brown-black to black centrally, confluent to ±continuous at margins, soon anastomosing, and with ±oval to rounded, pale or whitish interstices. Rhizines simple to fasciculate, pale-buff to dark-brown or blackened, in rows or with ±confluent bases near apices, more widely scattered centrally, rather short, 2–4 mm long. Apothecia erect, round to saddle-shaped, 2–5 mm diam., on ±involute marginal stalks; disc pale to dark red-brown, epruinose; margins thin, crenate, pale-buff. Ascospores colourless, 3–5-septate, acicular, (48–)50–60(–64) × 2.5–4 μm.
Chemistry: Peltidactylin, dolichorrhizin, zeorin.
Similar taxa
It is distinguished from P. dolichorhiza by the wavy, ascendent margins, the presence of marginal phyllidia, and the rather shorter rhizines.
Substrate
Muscicolous, terricolous, saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (3 September 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.