Click for help
Lichens Pan-Z (2007) - Flora of New Zealand Lichens - Revised Second Edition Pan-Z
Copy a link to this page Cite this record

Sclerophora Chevall.

SCLEROPHORA Chevall., 1826

Type : Sclerophora farinacea (Chevall.) Chevall. [=Fulgia farinacea Chevall.]

Description : Thallus crustose, endosubstratic. Photobiont green, Trentepohlia. Ascomata apothecia, stalked. Stalk short to very long and slender, yellow, pale- or reddish brown, comprised of strictly periclinally arranged, hyaline or pale-brownish hyphae. Excipulum well-developed, forming a distinct collar at base, lower part of collar ±enclosing the uppermost part of the stalk. Exciple hyaline, of anticlinally arranged hyphae. Capitulum spherical to obconical. Mazaedium well-developed. Asci cylindrical, dissolving at an early stage, formed singly from ascogenous hyphae with croziers. Ascospores spherical, pale; spore wall hyaline, with a minute, warty ornamentation; no rupturing of spore wall at maturity.

Key

1
Apothecia 1.7–3 mm tall, 15–32× as high as the width of the stalk; stalk brown to reddish brown in lower parts, yellowish in upper parts, 0.08–0.13 mm diam.; pruina of apothecia yellow or violet-red; excipulum not porrectulate and basal collar not white
amabilis
Apothecia 1.1–2.1 mm tall, very slender, 24–47× as high as width of stalk; stalk epruinose, reddish brown, 0.03–0.06 mm diam.; pruina of apothecia grey-white to yellowish; excipulum porrectulate at margin, and capitulum with a distinct, white, basal collar
sanguinea

Sclerophora is included in the family Coniocybaceae (Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005), though Tibell (1997: 311; 1998b: 108) keeps the genus in family Sclerophoraceae. It comprises six widespread species (Tibell 1999c; Kirk et al. 2001), of which two are recorded from New Zealand – formerly in the genus Coniocybe (Tibell 1987). The taxon Coniocybe otagoense Js.Murray (Murray 1960a: 182) is a non-lichenised fungus (Tibell 1987: 273).

Click to go back to the top of the page
Top