Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Gyrophora krascheninnikovii Savicz, Bull. Jard. Imp. Bot. Pierre Grande 14: 117 (1914).

=Omphalodiscus finerani C.W.Dodge, Nova Hedwigia 19: 481 (1971) ["1970"].

Omphalodiscus finerani. Holotype: New Zealand. South I. Canterbury: Two Thumbs Peak, Rangitata Valley, on sheltered, overhanging rock, 2440 m, 8.iv.1966, B.A. Fineran 3073 – CANU! [together with two small pieces of U. durietzii Frey].

Description : Thallus monophyllous, ±rounded to irregularly lobate, (1.5–)2–4(–5.5) cm diam., sometimes lobes proliferate from the umbilicus, becoming folded and congested and giving the appearance of being polyphyllous, closely attached at umbilicus but marginal parts somewhat raised and free of substratum, thick, flabby and pliable when wet, brittle when dry. Margins of lobes entire to laciniate, incised, fissured or fenestrate, without soredia, isidia or rhizinomorphs. Upper surface pale to dark olive-green to reddish brown when moist, pale- to dark-grey to grey-white when dry, dull, slightly to strongly scabrid-areolate (×10 lens), crystalline white-pruinose to granular in places, especially in spaces between ridges (×10 lens), smooth to strongly rugose and deeply folded; surface ridges white, sharply elevated and reticulate, to broad and rounded or compressed into strong ridges. Lower surface glabrous, smooth to minutely roughened-microcrystalline (×10 lens), irregularly and shallowly bullate centrally, undulate towards the margins, pale-ivory, whitish to pinksih or pale-tan, slightly darkening around umbilicus, often white-pruinose in a marginal zone; thalloconidia absent; rhizinomorphs absent. Umbilicus compressed, thick, 5–8(–12) mm diam., dark-brown to black. Apothecia widely scattered to densely crowded on lamina and ridges from margins to centre, sessile to subpedicellate, constricted below, 0.5–1.5(–2.2) mm diam., concave at first, soon becoming plane and then convex at maturity; thalline margins persistent, black, glossy; disc black, matt to glossy, epruinose, plane at first, becoming irregularly gyrose and/or fissured, gyri raised, black, glossy. Epithecium pale- to dark-brown, 5–8.5 μm thick. Hymenium colourless to pale straw-coloured, 65–80(–85) μm tall. Hypothecium yellow-brown to brownish, opaque, densely interwoven. Asci clavate, 37–5–45(–50) × 5–6.5 μm. Ascospores simple, colourless, broadly ellipsoidal, apices rounded, 8.5–12 × 6–6.5 μm. Pycnidia occasional to common and crowded, marginal and laminal, immersed, uni- to multi-loculate, ostiole brown-black to black, raised, thick, round to somewhat irregular, 0.1–0.5 mm diam. Conidia bacillar, 3–4.5 × 0.5–1 μm.

Chemistry : Gyrophoric (major), lecanoric (minor) acids and atranorin (tr.) (Feige et al. 1987; Narui et al. 1996).

S: Marlborough (Mt Tapae-o-uenuku), Westland (Mt Haast), Canterbury (Temple Basin, Mt Cook (summit rocks) Malte Brun, Liebig Ra.) Otago (Old Man Ra., Whitecoomb Ra., Rock & Pillar Ra.). On very exposed rocks (schist and greywacke), commonly on vertical to overhanging, western faces, very closely attached to substratum, high-alpine 1400–3507 m. Known also from Scandinavia, Svalbard, Greenland, Siberia, Japan, Chile, and Antarctica (Frey 1933, 1936b; Llano 1950; Poelt 1969, 1977; Poelt & Vězda 1981; Thomson 1984; Hale & Cole 1988; Sancho et al. 1992, 1999; Wei & Jiang 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Hansen 1995; Elvebakk & Hertel 1996; McCune & Gieser 1997; St. Clair 1999; Galloway & Quilhot 1999; Galloway 2001c; Brodo et al. 2001; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001; Hestmark 2004; Søchting et al. 2004).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Du Rietz (1929: pl. 2, fig. 1 – as Gyrophora hultenii); Llano (1950: 255, pl. 17, fig. 3 – as Omphalodiscus polaris); Thomson (1984: 289 – as Omphalodiscus krascheninnikovii); Hale & Cole (1988: 119, fig. 49A); Sancho et al. (1992: 193, fig. 3D–F): Wei & Jiang (1993: 88, fig. 49; 89, fig. 50); Hansen (1995: 68); McCune & Gieser (1997: 295); St. Clair (1999: 201); Brodo et al. (2001: 704, pl. 864).

Umbilicaria krascheninnikovii is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the monophyllous thallus; strongly reticulate upper surface, which is also scabrid-areolate to coarsely granular-crystalline; a smooth, pale lower surface lacking both thalloconidia and rhizinomorphs; frequent, subpedicellate apothecia with plane to convex, black, gyrose discs; and broadly ellipsoidal ascospores, 8.5–12 × 5.6.5μm.