Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : Mycoblastus sanguinarius (L.) Norman [=Lichen sanguinarius L.]

Description : Thallus crustose, continuous or granular or areolate. Prothallus present or absent. Photobiont green,? Trebouxia. Ascomata apothecia, black, flat or domed; thalline exciple absent; proper exciple ±well-developed, commonly excluded at maturity. Epithecium colourless or with violet granules, K+ aeruginose, or blue-black. Hymenium colourless, blue-black or brownish, I+ blue. Hamathecium of branched and anastomosing paraphyses. Asci 1–2 (–3)-spored, cylindrical–clavate, with a large I+ apical cap and very large ocular chamber, and a very thick (especially at the apex) outer I+ gelatinised layer (Malcolm & Galloway 1997: 187). Ascospores usually very large, thick-walled, simple, colourless, without a perispore. Conidiomata pycnidia. Conidia bacillar, simple, colourless.

Mycoblastus is a widespread, temperate genus, characterised by apothecia without a thalline exciple, medium to large, thick-walled, simple ascospores, thick-walled asci, and anastomosing paraphyses which grade imperceptibly into the hyphal network of the hypothecium (James 1971). Nine species are presently recognised (Kirk et al. 2001), the genus being placed in the monogeneric family Mycoblastaceae (Hafellner 1984; Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005). Two species (corticolous) are known from New Zealand, both with (1–)2-spored asci. The genus is still poorly known and collected here. Mycoblastus implicatus (Stirt.) Müll.Arg. is referred to Ochrolechia pallescens (q.v.).