Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Verrucaria pulchella Borrer in W.J. Hooker & J. Sowerby, Suppl. Engl. Bot. 1: tab. 2602 (1831).

Description : Flora (1985: 319–320).

Chemistry : TLC−, all reactions negative.

N: Northland (Three Kings Is, Spirits Bay, Radar Bush, Great Barrier I., Woodhill Forest), Auckland (Piha), Gisborne (Whanarua Bay) to Wellington (Kaimanawa Ra.). S: Nelson to Southland. St: A: Widely distributed although often overlooked because of its small size. Common in humid, shaded habitats on decaying vegetation, tree bark, rarely on rock and quite often on the surface of other lichens, especially Heterodermia, Pannaria, Parmelia, Parmotrema, Physcia, Pseudocyphellaria and Sticta. It also appears to tolerate moderate pollution in urban environments, being commonly recorded from the bark of inner city trees (along with pollution-tolerant species such as Parmelina labrosa and Physcia adscendens), and in one instance from the bark of Metrosideros excelsa close to a source of sulphur dioxide near a fertiliser factory in New Plymouth. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Macaronesia, Cape Verde Is, Africa, Asia, Oceania, North and South America and Australia (Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Galloway & Quilhot 1995; Elix & McCarthy 1998; Brodo et al. 2001; Aptroot 2002e, 2003a; Becker 2002; Coppins 2002b; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Obermayer 2004; Santesson et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Zschacke (1934: 592, fig. 317); Henssen (1976: pl. XVIID, E); Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 219); Phillips (1987: 173); Aptroot (1991: 266, fig. 3); Dobson (1992: 208; 2000: 240; 2005: 282); Diederich & Sérusiaux (1993: 98, fig. 1); Goward et al. (1994b: 88); Wirth (1995a: 609); Brodo et al. (2001: 462, pl. 538); Honegger (2001: 168, fig. 4A); McCarthy & Malcolm (2004: 54); Sérusiaux et al. (2004: 111).

Normandina pulchella is a characteristic species recognised by: the corticolous/lichenicolous habit; the small scattered, ear-like squamules (×10 lens) with a raised margin; concentric ridges on the upper surface; and the presence of soralia.