Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lichen uliginosus Schrad., Spicil. fl. germ. 1: 88 (1794).

≡Lecidea uliginosa (Schrad.) Ach., Methodus: 43 (1803).

≡Saccomorpha uliginosa (Schrad.) Hafellner, Beih. Nova Hedwigia79: 334 (1984).

Description : Flora (1985: 241 – as Lecidea uliginosa).

Chemistry : TLC−, all reactions negative.

N: Northland (Waiwera Reserve), South Auckland (Torohepe Bog, Hauraki Plains, Mt Pirongia, Mamaku), Gisborne (Mt Hikurangi), Wellington (Kaimanawa Mts). S: Nelson (Kaihoka), Canterbury (Arthur's Pass), Otago (Mt Cargill, Kaka Point), Southland (Waituna Lagoon). On rotting stumps, old fence posts and in peat in open areas near forest margins, and on old burned logs in grassland. This upland species (it also occurs at sea level at the Waituna Lagoon) is still very much undercollected in New Zealand, and is probably much more widespread than records show. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, Greenland, North America, Australia and Chile (Moberg & Holmåsen 1982; Foucard 1990; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Galloway & Quilhot 1999; Diederich & Sérusiaux 2000; Scholz 2000; Hafellner & Türk 2001; Llimona & Hladun 2001; Coppins 2002b; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Alstrup 2004; Santesson et al. 2004; Ryan et al. 2004a: 422).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Dobson (1979: 129 – as Lecidea uliginosa; 2000: 311; 2005: 348); Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 125 – as Lecidea uliginosa); Coppins & James (1984: 242, fig. 1C); Boqueras (2000: 403, fig. 66 – as Saccomorpha uliginosa). The figure labelled P. uliginosa in Lumbsch et al. (2001a: 29) is not this species.

Placynthiella uliginosa is characterised by: the lignicolous/terricolous habit; the thallus of rounded, brown-black granules, 25–100 μm diam., ±gelatinous when moist; the abundant, pinkish to dark reddish brown apothecia, ±innate in thalline granules; and ellipsoidal ascospores, 11–6 × 5–7 μm.