Flora of New Zealand Series

Thallus filamentous, black, filaments minute, ecorticate, fungal hyphae brown, contorted. Photobiont green, Trentepohlia. Apothecia unknown.

Cystocoleus was long considered a species of Coenogonium, being described as C. nigrum (Huds.) Zahlbr. Santesson [ Symb. bot. upsal. 12: 404 (1952)] claims that the essential difference between these two genera lies in the character of the fungal component of the lichen. In Cystocoleus the fungus is a deuteromycete, while in Coenogonium it is an ascomycete. Consequently apothecia are regularly found in Coenogonium but never in Cystocoleus. Santesson (loc. cit.) places Cystocoleus in the lichenised Fungi Imperfecti. Cystocoleus is temperate and boreal in its distribution while Coenogonium is primarily a genus of tropical and subtropical regions. Cystocoleus contains two species, the most widespread of which C. niger occurs in New Zealand, Chile, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula and in temperate arctic-alpine regions of Europe and North America. It is discussed by Lindsay [ Bull. Br. Antarct. Surv. 24: 119-120 (1971); Scient. Rep. Br. Antarct. Surv. 89: 1-91 (1974)].