Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Biatora naegelii Hepp, Flecht. Eur.: Tab. IV, no. 19 (1853).

≡Bacidia naegelii (Hepp) Zahlbr., Österr. Bot. Z. 59: 439 (1909).

Description : Thallus thin, smooth pale-greenish grey, usually forming small patches among other crustose taxa. Apothecia 0.2–0.6(–0.8) mm diam., rounded, often in small groups, flat to convex, variously coloured, whitish, blue-grey, grey-brown to blackish, often piebald; proper exciple poorly developed, paler than disc. Epithecium colourless to pale greenish, greenish grey to brown or blue-green, K+ or – intensifying green, N+ red or purplish brown and K+ or – intensifying purple. Hymenium 50–65 μm tall, colourless. Paraphyses 1.5–2 μm thick, simple or furcate above, apices swollen to 5 μm wide. Ascospores (0–)3(–5)-septate, oblong to fusiform, often somewhat curved, 13–25(–28) × 4–6 μm.

N: Wellington (Scorching Bay). On Coprosma with Belonia pellucida (Coppins & Malcolm 1998: 565). Still very poorly known and collected in New Zealand. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Morocco, Tunisia, Israel, Turkey, Ukraine, and North America where it is found mainly on the eutrophicated bark of deciduous trees and often in Xanthorion communities (Vainio 1922; Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Egea 1996; Galun & Mukhtar 1996; John 1996; Kondratyuk et al. 1996a, 1996b; Seaward 1996; Diederich & Sérusiaux 2000; Scholz 2000; Hafellner & Türk 2001; Llimona & Hladun 2001; Coppins 2002b; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004; Van den Boom & Ryan 2004b).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Hepp (1853: tab. IV, no. 19 – as Biatora naegelii); Boqueras (2000: 98, fig. 11E – as Bacidia naegelii).

Lecania naegelii is characterised by: the corticolous habit: the thin, pale-grey thallus; the piebald apothecia; and 3–5-septate, oblong to somewhat curved ascospores, 13–28 × 4–6 μm.