Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : Aderkomyces coupiae Bat.

Description : Thallus crustose, effuse, usually furnished with white hairs, and sometimes with scattered pale hyphophores, ecorticate or with a ±cartilaginous, cortical layer. A thin, marginal prothallus present or absent. Photobiont green, species of Chlorococcaceae. Ascomata apothecia, sessile, rounded, lecideine, applanate. Exciple usually well-developed, formed of rounded or elongate cells, or ±radiating hyphae. Hymenium I−; epithecial algae absent or rarely present. Hamathecium of branched and anastomosing paraphyses. Asci thick-walled, 1–8-spored. Ascospores transversely septate to muriform, colourless.

Aderkomyces is a tropical genus of mainly foliicolous lichens comprising some 25 taxa (Lücking et al. 2005) included in the family Gomphillaceae. At the time of its description, Aderkomyces was a monospecific genus established for a species with flabellate hyphophores (Batista 1961). This was later transferred to Tricharia Fée (Lücking et al. 1998b), a genus of setose, mainly foliicolous lichens, where taxa, now recognised as belonging to Aderkomyces, were formerly accommodated (Santesson 1952; Sérusiaux 1984a; Vězda & Poelt 1987; Kalb & Vězda 1988b; Malcolm 1995; Lücking 1997a; Dennetière & Péroni 1998; Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005). Aderkomyces was recently reinstated to accommodate species of Tricharia s.lat., having white setae, often applanate apothecia with hyphal exciples and partly flabellate hyphophores (Lücking et al. 2005). One species occurs in New Zealand (Malcolm 1995).