Xanthoparmelia murina
≡Paraparmelia murina (Kurok.) Elix & J.Johnst., Mycotaxon 27: 280 (1986).
≡Parmelia murina Kurok., Bull. Natnl Sci. Mus. Tokyo, ser. B, 11: 85 (1985).
Description : Thallus moderately to tightly attached, 4–6 cm diam. Lobes crowded and imbricate centrally, subirregular to sublinear, irregularly branched, 1–3 mm wide; often developing laciniae centrally, linear-elongate, subdichotomously branched, 0.2–1 mm wide, apices slightly rounded, glossy, brown; margins often blackened. Upper surface pale-grey to dark-grey, flat, matt, emaculate, smooth, without soredia. Isidia sparse to numerous and dense, terete, slender, becoming coralloid-branched. Lower surface black; rhizines moderately common, simple, black. Apothecia sessile, 2–8 mm wide; disc concave then undulate-distorted, red-brown to dark-brown, exciple wrinkled, densely isidiate, thick and involute. Ascospores 7–10 × 5–6 μm. Pycnidia unknown.
Chemistry : Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow→red, C−, Pd+ intense yellow; containing atranorin, salazinic acid (major), consalazinic acid (minor) and ±protocetraric acid.
N: Auckland (Western Springs Auckland). S: Canterbury (Godley Head, Pigeon Bay, Banks Peninsula). On rocks, lowland and coastal, s.l. to 400 m. Common around Auckland (Bartlett 1988: 22 – as Pseudoparmelia cinerascens), but very poorly collected elsewhere. Widespread in E and S Australia and Lord Howe I. (Elix 2001b: 125–129; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
Australasian
Illustrations : Kurokawa (1985: 85, fig. 8A, B – as Parmelia murina); Elix (2001b: 128, fig. 67 – as Paraparmelia murina).
Xanthoparmelia murina is characterised by: the moderately to tightly adnate thallus; the black lower surface; the presence of coralloid-branched terete isidia; and salazinic acid in the medulla. X. atrocapnodes is identical morphologically but differs chemically.
