Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Campbell I., 1874, Filhol s.n. – H-NYL 23600.

Description : Thallus dirty whitish, thin; surface smooth and dull, without isidia or soredia. Apothecia verruciform, conspicuous, subspherical, concolorous with thallus, scattered, sometimes confluent, 0.5–1 mm diam.; ostioles pale-brown to translucent, 1 per verruca. Ascospores 8 per ascus, biseriate, smooth, ellipsoidal to subfusiform, 80–120 × 30–40 μm.

Chemistry : K+ weak-yellow, KC−, C−, Pd−; containing stictic acid (major), α-acetylconstictic acid (minor), menegazziac acid (minor), and constictic acid (tr.) (Elix et al. 1995b: 280).

S: Canterbury (Mt Peel). C: On mosses in alpine fellfield vegetation, still very poorly collected in New Zealand.

Endemic

Pertusaria tyloplaca was described for a Campbell I. collection made by Filhol (Nylander 1876: 90, 1888: 71; Galloway 2000a [where it is erroneously referred to Ochrolechia xanthostoma]). It is characterised by: the muscicolous habit; the verruciform apothecia with 8, biseriate ascospores per ascus; and the presence of stictic acid. It is distinguished from the muscicolous P. scottii by chemistry and ascospore dimensions. Superficially it resembles Ochrolechia xanthostoma (q.v.), but the two taxa are readily separated by spore number and chemistry (O. xanthostoma has four ascospores per ascus and contains alectoronic acid, KC+ red).