Pseudocyphellaria chloroleuca
Synonyms
Pseudocyphellaria psilophylla, Sticta psilophylla
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 often somewhat ragged, convex to strongly canaliculate lobes; a pale, glabrous lower surface; a white medulla; a green algal photobiont; fragile, marginal and or laminal, terete isidia (simple to coralloid); and a distinct but often fleeting C+ red reaction (gyrophoric acid) of the cortex.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands) to Wellington. South Island: Nelson to Westland (Greymouth), and Southland (Bluff Hill).
Known also from Lord Howe Island.
Habitat
An epiphyte of trees and shrubs and also on rocks in open, lowland coastal forest in partial shade to full sun, s.l. to 270 m. Most common in northern coastal habitats.
Detailed description
Thallus ± linear-elongate, spreading, loosely attached, to 20 cm diam. Lobes linear-elongate to 6 mm wide, ± discrete, to contiguous, margins rather fragile, copiously incised, isidiate, ± ascending, becoming concave and ± canaliculate. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, pale greenish-grey or fawn when dry, undulate, ± canaliculate, wrinkled to shallowly faveolate, matt or shining, marginally and then laminally isidiate. Isidia terete to somewhat flattened, simple, becoming coralloid-branched, fragile and easily abraded, leaving small, white pock-like depressions not to be confused with pseudocyphellae. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Lower surface pale pinkish-buff, whitish at margins, obscurely wrinkled-scrobiculate, bullate, glabrous, rarely very thinly and patchily tomentose centrally, tomentum white, silky, often lacking. Pseudocyphellae white, minute, inapparent, punctiform, fleck-like, numerous. Apothecia sparse, submarginal, 1.0-1.8 mm diam., subpedicellate, disc red-brown, matt or shining, concave to plane, margins denticulate-isidiate, thin, concolorous with thallus, thalline exciple wrinkled. Ascospores brown, fusiform, 1-3-septate, (23-)28-34(-42) × 7-11 µm.
Chemistry: 7β-acetoxyhopane-22-ol, hopane-7β, 22-diol (tr.), hopane-15α,22-diol, methyl gyrophorate and gyrophoric acid (C+ pink, fleeting).
Substrate
Corticolous
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 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.