Pseudocyphellaria crassa
Holotype: New Zealand. South I., Nelson, Lake Rotoiti, West Bay, on bark of Kunzea ericioides, 15.xi.1977, D.J. Galloway s.n. – CHR 381001. Isotype – BM.
Descriptions : Flora (1985: 435). See also Galloway (1988a: 108–111).
Chemistry : Methyl evernate (tr.), tenuiorin, methyl lecanorate (tr.), evernic acid (tr.), gyrophoric acid (tr.), hopane-7β,22-diol, hopane-6α,7β,22-triol, 7β-acetoxyhopan-6α,22-diol (tr.), 6α-acetoxyhopan-7β,22-diol (tr.), several unidentified triterpenoids, norstictic (tr.), stictic, cryptostictic, and constictic acids, pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone and calycin.
N: Wellington (Ruahine Ra.). S: Nelson (Tasman Mts, Lake Rotoiti), Canterbury (Boyle River, Peel Forest), Otago (Haast Pass, Makarora) [map in Galloway (1988a: 112, fig. 47)]. An epiphyte of subalpine successional shrubs and trees (especially Kunzea and Leptospermum) in moderate shade and high humidity, 300–1050 m.
Endemic
Illustration : Galloway (1988a: 110, fig. 46).
Pseudocyphellaria crassa is characterised by: linear-elongate, subdichotomously to irregularly branched lobes, with entire to minutely notched, thickened margins, with projecting, punctate, yellow pseudocyphellae; a reticulate-faveolate upper surface without isidia, maculae, phyllidia, pseudocyphellae or soredia; a white medulla; a cyanobacterial photobiont; a thickly felted-tomentose red-brown to chocolate-brown lower surface with conspicuous, vivid-yellow pseudocyphellae; occasional, marginal apothecia with a dark red-brown to black, epruinose disc and a coarsely verrucose-scabrid, dentate-coronate exciple; and a complex chemistry of depsides, hopane triterpenoids, depsidones and yellow pigments.
