Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecanora vitellina var. reflexa Nyl., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 16: 241 (1866).

Description : Thallus crustose of dispersed or ±contiguous granules, to subsquamulose, indeterminate, forming irregular patches; squamules to 1 mm diam., usually smaller, rounded or lobed to substellate, mostly ±flattened-apressed, dull yellow-green to citrine-yellow, the margins usually quickly eroding into fine, granular soredia (×10 lens); soredia 0.05–0.07 mm diam., spherical, bright yellow, often coalescing and covering entire upper surface of squamules, tending to form a ±continuous leprose crust. Apothecia very rare, 0.5–1 mm diam., margins smooth or partly sorediate; disc pale-yellow to bright orange-yellow. Asci 8-spored. Ascospores oblong-ellipsoidal, slightly curved, 10–16 × 4.5–5.5 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus K−; containing pulvinic acid, ±calycin, ±pulvinic acid dilactone.

N: Auckland to Wellington. S: Canterbury (Christchurch) to Otago (Dunedin). Mainly on nutrient-enriched bark of introduced trees in urban environments; moderately shade- and pollution-tolerant. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, North and South America (Hakulinen 1954; Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Galloway & Quilhot 1999; Scholz 2000; Aptroot 2002e; Coppins 2002b; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Hakulinen (1954: 26, tab. I, fig. 9, tab. IV, fig. 7); James (1971: 129 fig. 4A); Wirth (1987: 110; 1995b: 245); Dobson (1992: 90; 2000: 102; 2005: 112); Thor & Arvidsson (1999: 244).

Candelariella reflexa is characterised by: the minute thalline granules or squamules (×10 lens) that become entirely finely sorediate. It is distinguished from Caloplaca citrina by the K− reaction. Candelariella xanthostigma is superficially similar, but lacks flattened squamules, and the rounded, soredia-like but corticate, granules are larger, more constant in size, and have a dull orange-yellow colour; this species is also rarely found on nutrient-enriched substrata (James & Gilbert 1992).