Pseudocyphellaria intricata
Common name
starry night lichen
Synonyms
Sticta intricata, Sticta intricata f. subargyracea, Sticta limbata var. subflavida, Stictina intricata var. subargyracea, Stictina limbata var. subflavida
Family
Lobariaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Foliose
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Characterised by irregularly laciniate to broadly rounded lobes with sinuous, incised or partly entire, often sorediate margins; a plane, undulate to minutely wrinkled or subfaveolate, rather coriaceous upper surface, with scattered erose, laminal and marginal soralia containing coarsely granular, often pseudoisidiate, grey-white to white soredia; a white medulla; a cyanobacterial photobiont; a pale yellow-buff to chocolate-brown, tomentose lower surface, with occasional to rare, widely scattered, white pseudocyphellae immersed in tomentum; and a simple two-hopane chemistry with traces of tenuiorin and methyl gyrophorate.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Radar Bush) to Cook Strait. South Island: Nelson to Southland. Stewart Island: (Oban to Port Pegasus). Throughout, both E and W of the Main Divide, s.l. to 1150 m.
Also known from oceanic environments in Great Britain, France, Norway and the Faroe Islands, Macaronesia, Tristan da Cunha, the Caribbean, the palaeotropics from South Africa to Hawai’i, Australia, Tasmania and South America.
Habitat
It is primarily a forest species, growing on bark, among other lichens, and in very damp, shaded habitats, among mosses on twigs of shrubs. It is tolerant of a wide range of light regimes, being found in dense shade and from rocks exposed to full sunlight at forest and scrub margins in areas of moderate to high rainfall. Generally it is a good indicator of humid habitats.
Detailed description
Thallus orbicular to irregularly spreading, loosely attached, corticolous or saxicolous, to 20 cm diam. Lobes very variable, broad, sparsely incised, to narrow, linear-laciniate, margins entire to deeply incised, often sorediate. Upper surface shining, dark brown to pale yellowish-buff, often with a bluish-lilac tinge, or reddish-brown, smooth to ± reticulate-faveolate, sorediate, without isidia, maculae or pseudocyphellae. Soredia farinose to coarsely granular, whitish to grey-blue or mauve, in ± linear marginal lines or in rounded, laminal, pustular soralia. Medulla white. Photobiont blue-green. Lower surface tomentose to margins, tomentum thick, felted, pale to dark chocolate-brown, pale brown and ± glabrous in a narrow zone at lobe apices. Pseudocyphellae white, scattered, rather sparse, sunk in tomentum. Apothecia not seen. It may be parasitised by the lichenicolous fungus *Arthrorhaphis grisea.
Chemistry: Tenuiorin (tr.), methyl gyrophorate (tr.), 7β-acetoxyhopan-22-ol, hopane-7β, 22-diol (tr.), hopane-15α,22-diol.
Similar taxa
Pseudocyphellaria intricata can look similar to Sticta limbata, but S. limbata has cyphellae on the lower surface (rather than pseudocyphellae) and the thallus is more monophyllous (less divided).
Galloway (1985) stated “Pseudocyphellaria intricata as at present circumscribed probably represents more than one taxon in New Zealand, although until further collections and additional field studies are made the various entities are combined in one aggregate species. Large-lobed, thick, coriaceous individuals with a mustard-yellow upper surface and coarse grey-blue soralia are referable to Sticta limbata var. subflavida and may well constitute a separate species. The typical form of P. intricata has a red-brown to pale brown upper surface often with a bluish tinge and with ± linear, marginal and scattered laminal, white soralia. In addition there is a very thin, dark red-brown species found in very damp, shaded habitats, resembling a species of Nephroma.”
Substrate
Corticolous, saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (9 July 2021). Brief description, Distribution, Habitat, and Features 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.