Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : [specimen] "Schaereria lugubris", Falkenstein, Krempelhuber (M) (typ. cons.) =Schaereria cinereorufa (Schaer.) Th.Fr. [=Lecidea cinereorufa Schaer.]

Description : Thallus crustose or squamulose, when crustose distinctly areolate, areolae ±dispersed, convex, grey to reddish brown; prothallus often well-developed at margins and between areolae, black. Photobiont green, trebouxioid. Medulla I−. Ascomata apothecia, immersed or sessile, black. Thalline exciple absent, Proper exciple persistent, black, darkish brown in section, K− of ±globose cells. Hypothecium brown, subhymenial layers colourless. Thecium I+ weakly blue (ascus walls); epithecium bright-green, at least in K, or partly violet and K+ bright-green. Hamathecium of paraphyses that are lax in K and occasionally branched at apices; apical cells often swollen and sometimes ±moniliform. Asci cylindrical or rarely clavate, thin-walled, with a single wall layer, not thickened apically, only the outermost gelatinous layer I+ faint blue (Trapelia -type). Ascospores ±globose to ellipsoidal, simple, uniseriate, ±biseriate or irregularly arranged in ascus, colourless, smooth, non-halonate.

Schaereria is a genus of eight species worldwide (Hertel 2004a), included in the family Agyriaceae (Fryday & Common 2001; Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005). It is distinguished from other crustose-squamulose lichens with Lecidea -like or Aspicilia -like apothecia by the thin- and single-walled cylindrical asci that lack any distinctive thickening (tholus). The ascus of Schaereria is interpreted as a reduction of the Trapelia -type. Since some differences occur between Schaereria and the Agyriaceae, viz., the different paraphyses, ascus structure, and pycnidia, it is proposed to maintain the family Schaereriaceae within the Agyriineae (Lunke et al. 1996). The morphology of species of Schaereria is rather diverse including both crustose and squamulose taxa. Most are found on siliceous rocks, although two Northern Hemisphere species, S. corticola Tønsberg and * S. parasemella (Nyl.) Lumbsch, are corticolous and lichenicolous respectively (Kantvilas 1999). For recent information on the genus see Lunke et al. (1996), Lumbsch (1997b), Kantvilas (1999), Fryday & Common (2001) and Hertel (2004a). Two species occur in New Zealand.