Pertusaria xanthoplaca
Family
Pertusariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Crustose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by the saxicolous (coastal rocks) habit; the yellow, sorediate thallus, and the presence of thiophaninic and stictic acids.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Hen Island, Chicken Island, Great Barrier Island, Little Barrier Island, Great Mercury Island).
Also in East Australia from Queensland to New South Wales, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, and Papua New Guinea.
Habitat
On coastal rocks.
Detailed description
Thallus dull- to bright-yellow, areolate, surface smooth and dull, sorediate. Soredia scattered, somewhat immersed 0.2–0.25 mm diam. Apothecia verruciform, rare, when present, scattered, rarely confluent, concolorous with thallus, slightly flattened, hemispherical, becoming constricted at base, 0.5–1 mm diam.; ostioles inconspicuous, pale to dark yellowish brown, 1 per verruca. Ascospores 8 per ascus, irregularly uniseriate, ellipsoidal, rarely subfusiform, smooth, 50–75(–90) × 25–37 μm.
Chemistry: K−, KC+ orange, C+ orange, Pd− or + weak yellow; containing thiophaninic acid (major), 2-chloro-6-O-methylnorlichexanthone (tr.), 4-chloro-6-O-methylnorlichexanthone (tr.), stictic acid (major), constictic acid (minor), ±lichexanthone (minor-tr.), rarely with additional norstictic acid (minor).
Substrate
Saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (7 January 2024). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.