Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. South I., Nelson, Maitai River Road, 41º18's, 173º20.5'E, 90 m, on needles and twigs of Podocarpus totara, 2.x.1993, W.M. Malcolm 1166 – CHR 486639. Isotypes – Herb. A. Vězda, Herb. W.M. Malcolm.

Description : Thallus weakly leprose, continuous, ashy grey, without a prothallus, foliicolous or occasionally on small twigs. Photobiont green, globose, often clustered. Apothecia semiglobose to globose, immarginate, 0.2 mm diam., at first reddish brown soon becoming livid-grey, paler to whitish in shade. Exciple and paraphyses of colourless, branched and anastomosing hyphae, radiating towards surface, embedded in a gel. Asci short and relatively broad, clavate with a distinct apical tholus. Ascospores spirally contorted in asci, curved or spiral after release, mostly 3-septate (septa often indistinct), 20–24 × 2 μm. Pycnidia immersed. Conidia rod-shaped, 13–16 × 2–2.5 μm.

S: Nelson, Marlborough. On twigs of Pittosporum tenuifolium and needle-leaves of Podocarpus totara (Malcolm & Vězda 1996b).

Endemic

Illustrations : Malcolm & Vězda (1996b: 267, fig. 3); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 72; 2001: 39, 57).

Scoliciosporum lividum is characterised by: the ecorticate, weakly leprose thallus; opaque reddish brown to livid-grey apothecia; spirally contorted, 3-septate ascospores, 20–24 × 2 μm; and the primarily foliicolous habit.