Pseudocyphellaria rufovirescens
Synonyms
Sticta richardii var. rufovirescens
Family
Lobariaceae
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
Pseudocyphellaria rufovirescens is a commonly collected, conspicuous endemic epiphyte characterised by a green photobiont, white medulla, a pale lower surface (with only a sparse pale tomentum or tomentum absent altogether), white, punctate pseudocyphellae, rather narrow, dichotomously branching, shallowly faveolate lobes and pale red-brown or pinkish-brown marginal apothecia which are never pruinose.
Distribution
North Island. South Island. Stewart Island. Auckland Islands. Throughout, common and widespread, s.l. to 1000 m.
Habitat
Mainly a lowland species; it reaches a great size in humid habitats in partial shade. In full sunlight specimens are often suffused brownish. It is most common in podocarp forests or forest remnants, along streams and in altered sites where Leptospermum is an important successional element.
Detailed description
Thallus spreading, often entangled, in very large clones, loosely attached, 7-10(-30) cm diam. Lobes linear-elongate, 5-8(-15) mm wide, 5-10(-15) cm long, ± dichotomously branching, contiguous or discrete, rarely imbricate, margins entire, smoothly rounded, without pseudocyphellae, slightly thickened below, apices rounded to truncate or shallowly furcate, rather variable, thinner and elongate to wider and ± imbricate. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, pale greyish-green when dry, smooth, matt, shallowly faveolate, dividing ridges smoothly rounded, undulate, without isidia, phyllidia, soredia or pseudocyphellae. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Lower surface white to pale pinkish-white at margins, darker centrally, wrinkled-bullate especially at margins, glabrous at and towards apices, short, white, delicate, silky-tomentose in older parts, tomentum often sparse or absent. Pseudocyphellae white, punctiform, immarginate, fleck-like at margins, to 0.5 mm diam., centrally, and there with a fine margin, scattered, ± flat or only very slightly verruciform, often clustered. Apothecia marginal, 1-5 mm diam., sessile or subpedicellate, disc pale brownish-pink to red-brown, concave at first, becoming ± plane or undulate, glossy, epruinose, smooth, margins pale buff or pinkish, thin, crenulate, thalline exciple pinkish, corrugate-scabrid. Ascospores mainly 1-, rarely to 3-septate, colourless, fusiform-ellipsoid, (20-)24-27(-32) × (7-)8-9(-11) µm.
Chemistry: 7β-acetoxyhopane-22-ol, hopane-15α,22-diol, hopane-7β,22-diol (±).
Can form photosymbiodemes, and was previously thought to be a separate species called P. murrayi.
Similar taxa
It is distinguished from Pseudocyphellaria billardieri by the pale red-brown apothecia, colourless spores, pale ± glabrous lower surface, flat, fleck-like pseudocyphellae and a different chemistry. The same characters serve also to distinguish it from P. faveolata which is much more variable in lobe morphology.
Substrate
Corticolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (28 March 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.