Pertusaria laevis
Synonyms
Pertsuaria velata var. subvelata Nyl.
Family
Pertusariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | Data Deficient
Brief description
Characterised by the corticolous habit; a pale-olivaceous or grey-green or greyish white, thin, areolate thallus; verruciform apothecia with 1–5 ostioles per verruca; 8-spores asci; uniseriate, oval–ellipsoidal ascospores, 50–70 × 20–26(–30) μm, wall 1.5–2.5 μm thick; and thamnolic acid.
Distribution
North Island: Wellington. Known only from the type collection. South Island: Nelson (M. Ford 2023).
Habitat
Second collection (Nelson) corticolous on kahikatea, with other weedy lichens on alluvial forest margin (M. Ford 2023).
Detailed description
Thallus pale olivaceous or grey-green or grey-white, thin, continuous, irregulary cracked to areolate-cracked, matt or shining, 2-4 cm diam., in irregular patches, with a thin, black, wavy marginal prothallus, corticolous. Fertile verrucae not much raised above thallus, sparse, blisterlike, ± convex, 1-2 mm diam., concolorous with thallus, apices flattened. Apothecia immersed, 1-5 per verruca, ostioles minute, brown or black, punctiform. Asci clavate, 8-spored. Ascospores uniseriate, oval-ellipsoid 51-69 × 18.7-26(-30) µm, wall 1.5-2.5 µm thick.
Chemistry: K+ yellow, Pd+ orange; containing thamnolic acid.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (16 June 2023). Information in the Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985, 2007).
References and further reading
Ford M. 2023: iNaturalist observation. https://inaturalist.nz/observations/152895858. Date accessed: 16 June 2023.
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.