Pseudocyphellaria montagnei
Synonyms
Sticta montagnei C.Bab. Ricasolia montagnei (C.Bab.) Nyl. Stictina montagneana (C.Bab.) Shirley, Lobaria montagnei (C.Bab.) Hellb., Stictina astictina Nyl., Sticta astictina (Nyl.) Hellb., Pseudocyphellaria astictina (Nyl.) H.Magn., Ricasolia luridescens Stirt., Lobaria luridescens (Stirt.) Zahlbr.
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 a white medulla; a green photobiont; minute, sparse, white pseudocyphellae on the lower surface which itself is often glabrous or largely devoid of tomentum conferring a pale, Lobaria-like appearance; laminal phyllidia often copiously developed and obscuring thallus; phyllidiate margins to the apothecia which have dark-brown to black discs and a red-brown to grey-brown granular epithecium turning violet-purple in K; and a complex chemistry related to those of P. durietzii, P. hookeri and P. physciospora and characterised by a wide range of depsides (including gyrophoric acid that gives a fleeting C+ red reaction to the upper surface when dry and especially also to the lower surface), hopane-triol and stictic acid metabolites.
Distribution
North Island: Northland (Three Kings Islands) to Cook Strait (Kapiti Island). South Island: Nelson (Kaihoka Lakes), Westland (Greymouth).
Habitat
Mainly an epiphyte of northern coastal forest trees and shrubs, in moderate shade to full sunlight, occasionally on decaying logs and rocks. May be parasitised by the lichenicolous fungus Arthonia santessoniana.
Detailed description
Thallus ± orbicular, closely attached in rosettes or spreading, to 12 cm diam. Lobes rounded, ± radiating, imbricate, margins entire or delicately notched or incised, sinuous or ragged-phyllidiate. Upper surface glaucous-green to olivaceous when wet, pale greyish-green when dry, undulate or shallowly faveolate, lacunose, ridges smooth, matt or shining, without soredia, maculae or pseudocyphellae, often phyllidiate. Phyllidia dentate-subcoralloid, flattened, undulate, squamiform, marginal and laminal. Photobiont green. Medulla white. Lower surface pale yellowish-buff to whitish, slightly darker centrally, ± glabrous or with a sparse, thin, pale tomentum, wrinkled-bullate in parts, or ± papillate. Pseudocyphellae inconspicuous, very sparse, scattered, minute, erupting on ridges and papillae, decorticate area yellowish, or white. Apothecia laminal or marginal, sparse to moderately frequent, sessile to subpedicellate, 2-5 mm diam., disc matt, smooth, black, epruinose, margins thin, entire to crenate-striate to phyllidiate, pale. Pycnidia frequent, scattered, black, punctiform, minute. Ascospores brown, polaribilocular, fusiform-ellipsoid, 24-31 × (5-)7-10 µm.
Chemistry: Methyl evernate, tenuiorin, methyl gyrophorate, evernic, hopane-6α,7β,22-triol, norstictic (tr.), stictic, cryptostictic (tr.), constictic, hypostictic (tr.) and hyposalazinic (tr.) acids.
Similar taxa
Pseudocyphellaria montagnei is related to P. hookeri but has a green photobiont and is a more closely appressed bark species. It is distinguished from P. durietzii by the marginal and laminal phyllidia and the phyllidiate apothecial margins and in the morphology of the lower surface and pseudocyphellae. Some confusion has arisen over the correct taxonomic circumscription of this lichen since the pseudocyphellae on the lower surface are small, rather poorly developed and sparsely scattered.
Substrate
Corticolous, saxicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Marley Ford (4 August 2021). 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.