Peltigera ulcerata
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 terricolous/muscicolous habit; the small, crowded, cochleate lobes having a glabrous, rather coriacous upper surface and with prominent, marginal and laminal, ulcerose soralia containing coarse, granular grey-blue to red-brown soredia that are C+ red (gyrophoric acid).
Distribution
North Island: Auckland (Rangitoto Island), South Auckland (Karangahake Gorge, Te Kauri Park, Waihaha). South Island: Malborough (Seaward Valley), Canterbury (Arthur’s Pass, Cass, Moa Creek, Mt Cook), Otago (Cluden Hill near Tarras, Alexandra, Teviot Valley).
A widespread pantropical and pantemperate species, originally described from Brazil. It is not yet known from Australia, but was recently recorded from Chile.
Habitat
On soil, among moss or on tree trunks near the ground, in rather open, well-lit situations, s.l. to 1500 m.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular, small, 1–5 cm diam. Lobes crowded, concave, ±cochleate, 2–5(–10) mm diam., 5–25 mm long, to 250 μm thick. Margins entire, sinuous, to ±ascending, slightly thickened below, often downrolled, ±sorediate, occasionally lobulate, tinged brownish or brown-black. Upper surface glabrous, matt or glossy, pale greyish-green to olive-brown when wet, cinnamon-brown or yellowish, suffused brownish at margins when dry, sometimes ±red-brown, sorediate. Soralia laminal and marginal, at first rounded, 1–2(–5) mm diam., forming in breaks in upper cortex, eroding and becoming confluent-ulcerose; soredia coarse, granular, blue-grey at first becoming red-brown when mature, often totally eroding and exposing patches of pale medulla. Lower surface pale-buff or whitish, ±uniformly buff-tomentose at margins. Veins flat, broad to confluent, indistinct at margins, with small, white, oval to irregular, fibrous; interstices pale pinkish brown at margins, darkening centrally. Rhizines fasciculate, penicillate, solitary or in lines to ±clustered, 1–3 mm long, pale-buff at margins, darkening to brown-black centrally. Apothecia not seen.
Chemistry: Medulla TLC−, all reactions negative: soralia C+ red; containing methyl gyrophorate, ±gyrophoric acid.
Similar taxa
It is distinguished from P. didactyla by its smaller, thicker lobes and glabrous upper surface and the buff-brown lower surface and the morphology of the rhizines.
Substrate
Terricolous, muscicolous
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.