Flora of New Zealand Series

Thallus crustose, thin, uniform. Photobiont green, Trentepohlia. Apothecia lecideine, sessile, round to irregular, black or dark brown, proper margin thick, persistent, or occluded at maturity. Excipulum radiate, of moderately thickened hyphae. Hymenium I+ dark blue 80-170 µm tall. Paraphyses abundant, simple or branched-anastomosing and capitate at apices. Hypothecium pale, to dark blue-black. Asci clavate to cylindrical with an amyloid tholus. Ascospores 8, rarely 12-14 per ascus, 1-septate, colourless, ellipsoid, moderately thick-walled, slightly constricted at septum.

Catinaria, included in the family Lecideaceae is a genus of c. 24 species many of which have often been included in Catillaria. The exact relationship of Catinaria to Catillaria is still unclear and it is likely that Catinaria is more closely related to Blastenia, Megalospora and Sporopodium. One species is known in New Zealand but it is probable that several taxa at present included in Catillaria will eventually be placed in Catinaria. Useful information is given in Poelt and Vězda [ Bestimmungsschl. eur. Flecht. Erg. II: 123-125 (1981)].