Flora of New Zealand Series

≡*Abrothallus oxysporus Tul., Annls Sci. nat. Bot. sér. 3, 17: 116 (1852).

≡*Phacopsis oxyspora (Tul.) Triebel & Rambold, Nova Hedwigia 47: 300 (1988).

Description : Lichenicolous, growing on thalli of Parmelia saxatilis, Parmelina labrosa, cecidogenous. Apothecia immersed to semi-immersed, becoming erumpent, 0.2–0.3(–0.45) mm diam., rounded, crowded or confluent; disc plane to convex, brown to dark-brown, matt to shining; margins indistinct. Exciple 10–30(–40) μm thick, pale-brown to hyaline of ±isodiametric cells. Hypothecium hyaline to pale-brownish 30–120 μm thick, I+ violet at base. Hymenium hyaline to pale-brownish 55–65 μm tall. Paraphyses septate, 2–3 μm thick, apical cells slightly swollen with pale-brown to brown caps. Asci 45–55 × 14–19 μm. Ascospores ellipsoidal to citriform, ends attentuate, oil droplets present, spore walls smooth, (13–)16–18(–21) × 5–6.5(–7) μm. Pycnidia globose, immersed. Conidia 5.5–6 × 0.5–1 μm.

S: Otago (Wye Valley, Dunedin). Collected in 1861 by William Lauder Lindsay from Parmelia saxatilis in the Dunedin area (Nylander 1866: 257; Lindsay 1866c, 1868a, 1868b, 1869; Vouaux 1913b: 404). Lindsay made the first observations on lichenicolous fungi in New Zealand. Re-collected by Barbara Polly (1996) from Parmelina labrosa in the Wye Valley. Probably widespread on species of Parmeliaceae s. lat. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Canary Is, Cape Verde Is, Asia, Greenland, North America, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Kenya, China and Australia (Hertel 1971a; Kalb 1988; Triebel et al. 1995: 79; Sérusiaux et al. 1999; Cole & Hawksworth 2001: 329; Etayo 2002; Hafellner et al. 2002: 310; Diederich 2003; Etayo & Osorio 2004; Perśoh & Kainz 2004; Santesson et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Hosts : Parmelia saxatilis, Parmelina labrosa.

Illustrations : Lindsay (1867: 410, pl. xxix, fig. 6); Keissler 1930: 20, fig. 15; 121, fig. 36); Triebel & Rambold (1988: 302, fig. 8 – as Phacopsis oxyspora).

* Nesolechia oxyspora is characterised by: the lichenicolous habit; the colourless to pale-brownish hypothecium; and the ellipsoidal to citriform ascospores without attenauted apices, (13–)16–18(–21) × (5–)5.5–6.5(–7) μm.