Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Phyllis melacarpa F.Wilson, Vict. Nat. 6: 68 (1889).

≡Gymnoderma melacarpum (F.Wilson) Yoshim., J. Jap. Bot. 48: 287 (1973).

Descriptions : Flora 1985 (179 – as Gymnoderma melacarpum). See also Filson (1992c: 146).

Chemistry : Thallus and medulla K−, C−, KC−, Pd+ red or ; containing melacarpic, congrayanic, grayanic and fumarprotocetraric acids.

N: North Auckland (Three Kings Is) to Wellington. S: Nelson (Collingwood) to Fiordland. St: (Mt Anglem to Port Pegasus). Widely distributed in forested areas, on tree trunks, decaying logs and on bare soil on the forest floor, coastal and inland, s.l. to 1200 m. It forms clumps among mosses on peaty soil and on decaying stumps in exposed grassland heaths. Known also from eastern Australia and Tasmania (Yoshimura 1973a; Yoshimura & Kurokawa 1976; Filson 1992c, 1996; Kantvilas 1994b; McCarthy 2003c, 2005; Wei & Ahti 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Australasian

Illustrations : Yoshimura (1973a: 284, fig. 1; 285, fig. 2); Flora of Australia 54 : 217, fig. 60 (1992); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 101, 151); Wedin & Döring (1999: 1132, fig. 3); Döring & Wedin (2000b: 365, fig. 2H); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 56); McCarthy & Malcolm (2004: 54).

Exsiccati : Moberg (1994a: No. 128); Vězda (1997e: No. 303); Vězda (1998b: No. 380).

Neophyllis melacarpa is distinguished by: the corticolous/terricolous habit; the short, crowded, simple or coralloid, terete to laterally compressed podetia, and the black, peltate, sessile apothecia level with the surface, or slightly sunk below the level of the surface of the podetial crust. Wei & Ahti (2002: 21, tab. 1) compare Neophyllis with Gymnoderma, Cladonia and Cetradonia, and compare differences in ascoma development, ascus type and conidiophore type between Neophyllis and Gymnoderma s. str. (Wei & Ahti 2002: 22, tabs 2, 3).