Pseudocyphellaria billardierei
Synonyms
Sticta billardieri
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 linear-elongate, ±dichotomously branching lobes, often widely divergent at the apices; conspicuous faveolae, the interconnecting ridges strongly defined, arcuate, flat, extending across width of lobe; entire, smoothly rounded margins, thickened above and below and forming a marked ridge, and without projecting pseudocyphellae; a white medulla; a green photobiont; white pseudocyphellae on the lower surface; mainly marginal apothecia with a dark red-brown to black, epruinose disc; a yellow-brown to red-brown epithecium turning green-black in K; and a complex chemistry of hopane triterpenoids, depsides and depsidones.
Distribution
North Island: Auckland (Rangitoto Island) to Wellington, and from Taranaki to Waikaremoana. South Island: Nelson (Kaihoka Lakes) to Southland both E and W of the Main Divide. Stewart Island/Rkiura: (Mt Anglem to Port Pegasus). Auckland Islands. Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku.
Known also from East and South Australia and Tasmania.
Habitat
A common rainforest species, s.l. to 1080 m.
Detailed description
Thallus irregularly spreading, loosely attached, apices ± free and subascending, 5-15(-25) cm diam., corticolous. Lobes regularly dichotomously to subdichotomously branching, 1-8(-12) mm wide, 1-10 cm long, well separated, discrete at margins, complex and often entangled centrally, rather flat, apices acute or truncate, rounded or bifurcating, margins entire, often thickened, smoothly rounded, without projecting pseudocyphellae. Upper surface matt or glossy, bright lettuce-green when wet, pale green or olive-brownish when dry, shallowly to deeply faveolate, interconnecting ridges smooth and rounded or sharp. Lower surface white or pale buff, conspicuously wrinkled to ± bullate, margins conspicuously thickened, ± glabrous in a narrow to broad marginal zone, thinly to densely tomentose often to margins, tomentum pale, whitish, silky near margins, entangled, brown-black centrally. Pseudocyphellae scattered to ± frequent, white, raised, verruciform, 0.05-0.2 mm diam., on interconnecting ridges, decorticate area small, depressed-punctate or indented below surrounding margins, rarely flat, margins thin ± puckered. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Apothecia marginal or submarginal, rather scattered, often developed towards lobe apices, subpedicellate, 0.5-2.5 mm diam., disc dark red-brown to black, roughened, epruinose, subconcave to plane and ± undulate, margins persistent or excluded in mature fruits, minutely crenate or verrucose, pale-red-brown to flesh-coloured, exciple pale red-brown, concolorous with margins, minutely verrucose-areolate, rarely pubescent or tomentose. Ascospores brown, ellipsoid-fusiform, simple at first, polaribilocular at maturity, 22-30 × 6.8-10.2 µm.
Chemistry: Methyl evernate, tenuiorin, 2’-O-methyltenuiorin, 2’,2’-di-O-methyltenuiorin, methyl gyrophorate, methyl lecanorate, gryrophoric acid (tr.), hopane-6α,22-diol (zeorin), 6α,16β-diacetoxyhopan-22-ol, 6α-acetoxyhopan-16β,22-diol, 6α-acteoxyhopan-23-oic acid, 6α,22-dihydroxyhopan-23-oic acid, norstictic, stictic, cryptostictic (tr.), constictic (tr), and 9α-acetylconstictic acid (tr.).
Similar taxa
Pseudocyphellaria billardierei is distinguished from P. faveolata (both species have brown, polaribilocular spores) by the flat, dichotomously branching lobes (lobe form is much more variable in P. faveolata) the smooth, rounded margins without pseudocyphellae, the thinner, pale tomentum of the lower surface and differences in structure of pseudocyphellae. The two species are chemically different (P. billardieri lacks physciosporin and methyl virensate). It is distinguished from P. rufovirescens by differences in chemistry, pseudocyphellae, character of the lower surface, colour of the apothecia and spores (colourless in P. rufovirescens). It is readily separated from P. carpoloma which has yellow pseudocyphellae on the margins and the lower surface and also a different chemistry.
Substrate
Corticolous
Etymology
billardierei: Named after Jacques Houttou de Labillardiere (1755-1834), 19th century French botanist who described several New Zealand plants
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (13 September 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985) & Galloway (2007).
References and further reading
Galloway DJ. 1985. Flora of New Zealand Lichens. Government Printer, Wellington, NZ. 662 p.
Galloway DJ. 2007. Flora of New Zealand Lichens. Revised 2nd edition including lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln, NZ. Two volumes: vol. 1 pp 1–1006; vol. 2 pp 1007–2261.