Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Northland, Anawhata, on maritime rocks, c. 10 m, ["5/11/32 Lichen III, L.M.C."] L.M. Cranwell – W. Isotype – CHR 378731.

Description : Thallus granular-dispersed or minutely subsquamulose to lacking, in spreading, irregular patches 1–2(–5) cm diam., granules minute, golden yellow to yellow-orange, 0.2–0.3 mm diam., rounded to sublinear, plane, smooth, often effuse, K+ reddish purple. Apothecia scattered, solitary to crowded, rounded to contorted through mutual pressure, 0.1–0.6(–1.2) mm diam., disc subconcave to plane, matt, orange to brownish yellow; thalline margin continuous or of scattered granules, concolorous with thallus, present as a thin to thick collar around disc; proper margin thin, persistent, slightly raised, glossy, orange, slightly paler than disc. Epithecium yellow, densely granular, 8–15 μm thick. Hymenium colourless, without oil droplets, 60–80 μm tall. Paraphyses slender, 1.5 μm wide, apices, submoniliform, swollen, to 5 μm diam. Asci clavate or cylindrical-clavate, 55–70 × 12–18 μm, 8-spored. Ascospores biseriate in ascus, oval, (12–)15–17(–18.2) × 6.5–8.2 μm; septum 3–5 μm thick, ¼ to ⅓ length of spore.

Chemistry : Thallus K+ purple; containing emodin, parietin, fallacinol, fallacinal, xanthorin and erythroglaucin (Santesson 1970: 2151).

N: Northland. Known only from the type collection.

Endemic

Exsiccati : Zahlbruckner & Redinger (1934: No. 336).

Caloplaca allanii is characterised by: the saxicolous habit (coastal rocks); the dispersed, granular, subsquamulose, golden-yellow to yellow-orange thallus; scattered to clustered small apothecia (0.1–0.6 rarely to 1.2 mm diam.) with plane, orange to brownish discs and a thin, persistent paler proper margin; oval ascospores (12–)15–17(–18.2) × 6.5–8.2 μm; and a thick septum (3–5 μm), ¼ to ⅓ the length of the spore. It is closely similar to C. acheila and C. rubentior (q.v.).