Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Gisborne, near Lake Waikaremoana, "supra cort. Podocarpi", 1932, J. Jablonszky T55 – BP.

Description : Flora (1985: 575).

Chemistry : Stictic acid.

N: Gisborne (Waikaremoana), Wellington (Rimutaka Ra.). Nelson (Newton River). On bark, among mosses. Known also from Sri Lanka (Hale 1981: 261).

Pantropical

Illustrations : Hale (1981: 257, fig. 8H); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 7); Lumbsch et al. (2001: 36).

Thelotrema novae-zelandiae is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the sessile, prominent apothecia with fissured-lacerate, Geaster- like margins; the olive green, shining thallus reminiscent of Porina exocha; muriform, broadly ellipsoidal ascospores, 1–2 per ascus, 60–104 × 15–30 μm; and stictic acid in the medulla. A superficially similar species, T. laemense, containing stictic and constictic acids, but with smaller ascospores was recently described from Thailand (Homchantra & Coppins 2002: 130; Wolseley et al. 2002: 54). It is possible that this taxon is better accommodated in Topeliopsis (q.v.).