Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecidea granulosa (Hoffm.) Ach., Methodus: 65 (1803).

≡Verrucaria granulosa Hoffm., Descr. adumbr. Pl. Lich. 2: 21 (1794).

Description : Flora (1985: 233 – as Lecidea granulosa).

Chemistry : Thallus and soralia C+ red (fading fast); containing gyrophoric acid.

N: Northland (Radar Bush, Tutamoe), South Auckland (Mt Moehau Coromandel Peninsula, Mt Pirongia, Moerangi) to Wellington (Rimutaka Ra.). S: Nelson (Mt Arthur, Lake Tennyson), Canterbury (Bealey Spur, Hanmer), Otago (Loganburn Reservoir, Mt Maungatua), Southland. St: Mainly in forested areas along tracks, roads or in cut-over areas or regenerating areas devastated by fire, on decorticated stumps, also in damp, subalpine to high-alpine grassland. A primary coloniser on soil or rotting stumps or plant debris; spreading in patches 5–10 cm diam. Associating with Neophyllis melacarpa, Placynthiella uliginosa and Trapeliopsis congregans. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Greenland, Morocco, Turkey, the Ukraine, North America, Argentina, the Falkland Is, the Antarctic Peninsula and Australia (Kantvilas 1990c; Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Øvstedal & Gremmen 1995; Egea 1996; John 1996; Kondratyuk et al. 1996a; Scholz 2000; Brodo et al. 2001; Hafellner & Türk 2001; Llimona & Hladun 2001; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001; Coppins 2002b; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Messuti et al. 2003b; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Alstrup 2004; Kantvilas & Jarman 2004; Printzen & McCune 2004; Santesson et al. 2004; Elvebakk & Bjerke 2006).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Jahns (1970: 143, fig. 75; 174, fig. 109 – as Lecidea granulosa); Phillips (1987: 165 – as L. granulosa); Foucard (1990: fig. 333); Dobson (1992: 336); Brodo et al. (2001: 687, pl. 843); Pope (2005: 50).

Trapeliopsis granulosa is characterised by: the terricolous/corticolous habit; the whitish to pale-grey thallus of crowded granular to verrucose areolae; whitish to creamish to grey-green, granular soralia; pale-pink to red-brown or piebald apothecia which are often convex and immarginate; hymenium 70–80 μm tall; asci 60–80 μm long; and ascospores 9–14 × 4–6 μm.