Pseudocyphellaria crassa
Family
Lobariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
Brief description
Characterised by the linear-elongate, subdichotomously to irregularly branched lobes, with entire to minutely notched, thickened margins, with projecting, punctate, yellow pseudocyphellae; a reticulate-faveolate upper surface without isidia, maculae, phyllidia, pseudocyphellae or soredia; a white medulla; a cyanobacterial photobiont; a thickly felted-tomentose red-brown to chocolate-brown lower surface with conspicuous, vivid-yellow pseudocyphellae; occasional, marginal apothecia with a dark red-brown to black, epruinose disc and a coarsely verrucose-scabrid, dentate-coronate exciple; and a complex chemistry of depsides, hopane triterpenoids, depsidones and yellow pigments.
Distribution
North Island: Wellington (Ruahine Ranges). South Island: Nelson (Tasman Mts, Lake Rotoiti), Canterbury (Boyle River, Peel Forest), Otago (Haast Pass, Makarora).
Habitat
An epiphyte of subalpine successional shrubs and trees (especially Kunzea and Leptospermum) in moderate shade and high humidity, 300–1050 m.
Detailed description
Thallus spreading, ± loosely attached, margins ± free and subascendent, to 20 cm diam. Lobes linear-elongate, 5-10 mm wide and 3-5 cm long, ± laciniate, subdichotomously to irregularly branching, margins entire or slightly incised, slightly thickened, ± incurled, brown-pubescent, apices crenulate, sinuous or truncate. Upper surface reddish when wet, pale greyish-fawn or tinged yellowish when dry, shallowly reticulate-faveolate, uneven or smooth, shining, without soredia, isidia, maculae or pseudocyphellae. Medulla white. Photobiont blue-green. Lower surface densely and thickly tomentose to the margins, or with a narrow, glabrous, marginal zone, tomentum dense, brown to blackish. Pseudocyphellae yellow, scattered, round to irregular, frequent, verruciform, 0.1-1.0 mm diam., sunk in tomentum or protruding from it, margins conspicuous, pale to dark brown or black. Apothecia marginal or submarginal, 0.5-3.0 mm diam., sessile to subpedicellate, disc concave at first and entirely obscured by margins, plane at maturity, matt, brown-black, margins thick, persistent pale buff or flesh-coloured, coarsely scabrid-crenulate appearing ± denticulate or coronate, thalline exciple corrugate-scabrid, pale flesh-coloured. Ascospores greenish-brown, fusiform-ellipsoid, 1-3-septate, 23-30 × (3-)7-10 µm.
Chemistry: Pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone, calycin, tenuiorin, methyl gyrophorate, hopane-6α,7β,22-triol, stictic, constictic and norstictic acids.
Similar taxa
The nature of the tomentum and the margins of the lobes separate it from P. maculata. It is closely related to P. carpoloma but is distinguished from it by the thicker lobes, the thick, dark tomentum on the lower surface, and by the blue-green photobiont.
Substrate
Corticolous
Etymology
crassa: Thick, fleshy, dense or fat
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (12 February 2022). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, Features, and Similar taxa sections copied from Galloway (1985, 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.