Pyrrhospora sanguinolenta
≡Callopisma sanguinolenta Kremp., Verhandl. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien 26: 449 (1877).
Description : Thallus areolate to rimose. Areolae angular to irregular, pale creamy yellowish, to brownish, plane, surface rather rough. Prothallus not apparent. Apothecia scattered to crowded, rounded to auriculate, sessile, ±constricted at base, 0.5–1.5(–2) mm diam.; disc plane to convex, red, glossy, epruinose, margins distinct at first, becoming excluded at maturity, concolorous with disc. Exciple 100–160 μm thick, ectal and inner zones red to colourless. Hypothecium pale-brown, 200–300 μm thick. Hymenium 35–45 μm tall, colourless to red-brown, I+ blue. Epithecium orange-red, 12–15 μm thick. Asci 35–40 × 8–9 μm. Ascospores ellipsoidal 8–9 × 3–4.5 μm. Pycnidia immersed. Conidia filiform, curved, 20–25 × 0.8–1 μm.
Chemistry : Cortex K−, C−, Pd−; medulla K+ red, C−, Pd+ yellow; containing norstictic and connorstictic acids, lichexanthone, and an unidentified pigment (Rambold 1989).
S: Otago (Poolburn, Old Man Ra., Mt Benger, Rock & Pillar Ra., Mt Cargill Organ Pipes), Southland (West Dome). On subalpine to alpine rocks. Still poorly collected and understood in New Zealand. Known also from Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa (Rambold 1989; Brusse 1991b; Hafellner 1993; Becker 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
?Australasian
Illustration : Rambold (1989: 142, fig. 12).
Pyrrhospora sanguinolenta is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the creamy yellowish to brownish, areolate thallus; the scattered, auriculate, glossy, red apothecial discs; ellipsoidal ascospores, 8–9 × 3–4.5 μm; and filiform conidia, 20–25 × 0.8–1 μm.
