Diploschistes henssseniae
Description : Thallus crustose, uniform, verrucose–areolate, pruinose to farinose, whitish. Areolae 0.5–1.2 mm diam. Apothecia perithecioid, immersed, blackish, grey-pruinose, rounded to 0.7 mm diam., and to 0.3 mm tall, discs urceolate. Proper exciple blackish, 35–70 μm thick, pseudoparenchymatous. Hymenium colourless, 100–130 μm tall. Hypothecium 10 μm thick, colourless. Paraphyses 1–1.5 μm thick, simple. Asci cylindrical, 80–110 × 10–20 μm, 8-spored, tholus I−. Ascospores ellipsoidal, brown, muriform, with 3–5 transverse septa and 1–2 longitudinal septa, 14–22 × 5.5–9 μm. Pycnidia globose, 30–60 μm diam. Conidia bacilliform, 4–6 × 1–1.5 μm.
Chemistry : K−, C+ red, Pd−, UV−; containing diploschistesic (minor), lecanoric (major) and orsellinic (minor) acids.
S: ? Otago. Known also from Australia (Lumbsch & Elix 1985, 2003; McCarthy 2003c, 2006) and South Africa (Guderley & Lumbsch 1996).
Southern xeric
Illustrations : Lumbsch & Elix (1985: 277, fig. 1); Guderley & Lumbsch (1996: 283, fig. 8A).
Diploschistes hensseniae is characterised by: the terricolous habit; the whitish pruinose thallus; the perithecioid ascomata; cylindrical asci; relatively small ascospores, 14–22 × 5.5–9 μm; and the presence of diploschistesic and orsellinic acids in addition to lecanoric acid.
