Pseudocyphellaria coriacea
Synonyms
Pseudocyphellaria allanii
Family
Peltigeraceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Characterised by linear-elongate, rather narrow strap-like lobes that are subdichotomously to irregularly branched, shallowly concave to strongly canaliculate, with entire margins, thickened below and conspicuously white-tomentose; a coriaceous, scabrid-areolate (×10 lens) upper surface that is white-tomentose towards margins and apices; a white medulla; a green algal or a cyanobacterial photobiont or both together as a photosymbiodeme; a pale-buff to chocolate-brown, densely tomentose lower surface with prominent, white, abruptly margined pseudocyphellae superficially resembling cyphellae; sessile to subpedicellate, mainly marginal apothecia with a corrugate-scabrid to densely white-tomentose exciple; and a two-hopane chemistry.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Karikari Peninsula to Waitakere Ranges), Auckland (Rangitoto Island), South Auckland (Coromandel Peninsula to W of Lake Taupo), Gisborne (Lake Waikaremoana), Hawke’s Bay (Kuripapango), Taranaki (Mt Taranaki), Wellington (National Park to Wellington). South Island: Nelson (Kaihoka Lakes to Lewis Pass), Westland (Greymouth to Haast), Canterbury (Arthur’s Pass, Banks Peninsula S to Mt Peel), Otago (Wilkin Valley to Silver Peaks and Maungatua), Southland (Milford Sound to Invercargill). Stewart Island: (Mt Anglem to Port Pegasus).
Habitat
In the northern part of its range it is a common species of tree bark in lowland coastal forest, and on rocks and soil in moderate- to high-light habitats. Elsewhere, especially in beech forest it is a prominent epiphyte of forest trees and shrubs, especially at the forest margin. The cyanobacterial phase and also photosymbiodemes with mixed photobionts are found in shaded habitats of high humidity. It is found from s.l. to 900 m.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to spreading, 5-10(-25) cm diam., loosely to closely attached. Lobes linear-elongate, ± subdichotomously branching, discrete, or ± imbricate, to broad and rounded, ± continuous centrally, margins entire, sinuous, subascendent, thickened below, conspicuously white-pubescent or tomentose, rather tough, coriaceous in texture. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, pale greyish-green or fawnish when dry, becoming brown, buff or yellowish on storage, smooth, matt, sometimes ± scabrid-areolate in patches, and with a thin, scattered pubescence especially at margins, without soredia, isidia, phyllidia or pseudocyphellae. Internal cephalodia often visible as small, hemispherical swellings on upper and lower surface. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Lower surface pale buff to dark chocolate-brown, densely tomentose, tomentum white, silky, rather soft. Pseudocyphellae white, conspicuous, large, numerous, often with a raised margin at centre, immarginate towards lobe apices and margins. Apothecia sparse to frequent, laminal and marginal, sessile to subpedicellate, 1-4 mm diam., disc red-brown, matt, smooth, epruinose, concave to plane, margins entire or crenulate, massive at first and obscuring disc, excluded with age, ± white-pubescent or tomentose, thalline exciple areolate-scabrid, often white-pubescent. Ascospores brown, 1-3-septate, fusiform, 23-33 × 7-11 µm. It may be parasitised by the lichenicolous fungi *Dactylospora lobariella and *Stigmidium peltideae.
Chemistry: 7β-acetoxyhopan-22-ol, hopane-15α,22-diol and hopane-7β,22-diol (tr.).
Similar taxa
It is distinguished from P. fimbriata by its entire margins, which are never phyllidiate.
Substrate
Corticolous
Etymology
coriacea: Leathery
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (21 March 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.