Steinera sorediata
Family
Koerberiaceae
Flora category
Lichen – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Lichens - Placodioid
Current conservation status
2018 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, SO, Sp
Brief description
Pale greyish-mauve, placodioid thallus with soredia, growing on mosses, rocks, or the ground in damp subalpine to alpine habitats.
Distribution
North Island: Taranaki (Mt Taranaki). South Island: Otago (Garvie Mountains, Old Man Range, Mt Cargill, Flagstaff Hill near Dunedin). Campbell Island: (Mt Honey, Mt Azimuth).
Recently recorded from the subantarctic Marion and Prince Edward Islands (Øvstedal & Gremmen 2001).
Habitat
Among moss on rocks and boulders, subalpine to high-alpine, 500-1,800 m.
Still very poorly collected, probably more widespread in alpine fellfield, but its small size and the colour of the thallus often make it difficult to detect in the field. In the type locality, it is surprisingly common on both north- and south-facing rocks on the summit, but its subtle colouring makes it not very easy to detect at first. It is worth searching for! The holotype was collected on Mt Cargill, near Dunedin, near [the] summit on more or less bare rocks with Menegazzia circumsorediata.
Detailed description
Thallus mainly placodioid, spreading, to 6 cm diam., rather loosely attached, margins conspicuously lobate, muscicolous, terricolous or saxicolous, apices and margins often slightly raised, contiguous except at apices, ± flabellate, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, often imbricate, radially fissured, irregularly radiate and corrugate, sometimes with transverse, anastomosing cracks. Upper surface pale greyish-mauve, grey or pale stramineous, markedly scabrid-roughened, especially towards lobe apices, centrally subcrustose, ± continuous with deep, partially interconnecting cracks, sorediate. Soralia numerous, originating from breakdown of ridges, rounded, oval or elongate, becoming irregular and ± confluent and covering thallus, soredia pale blue-grey or lilac, coarsely granular, rarely with finger-like to coralloid isidia which become sorediate. Apothecia rare, scattered, 0.4-7 mm diam., at first innate, becoming emergent, with a slightly elevated thalline margin at maturity, disc bright red-brown to brown, smooth or roughened, concave or plane, margins rather thin, 0.5 mm wide, smooth or ± entirely granular-sorediate. Ascospores acicular-fusiform, with one or both ends tapering, (37-)45-57(-75) × (5-)5.5-7(-8) µm, 5-7-septate. Pycnidia not seen.
Similar taxa
Steinera sorediata is distinguished from other species in the genus by the presence of soredia. The multiseptate, ±acicular ascospores suggests that it is possibly closely related to the non-sorediate S. polymorpha. However, there are features of the anatomy and ontogeny of the two species which suggests they cannot be considered as a species pair.
Substrate
Saxicolous, muscicolous
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by Melissa Hutchison (1 May 2023). Distribution, Habitat, Features, Similar Taxa, and Notes 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.
Henssen, A.; James, P.W. 1982: The lichen genus Steinera. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Botany 10: 227-256.