Flora of New Zealand Series

Heterothecium pauciseptatum Shirley, Pap. Proc. r. Soc. Tas. 1893: 218 (1894).

Thallus pale grey to whitish-grey, usually rather thick and cracked, wrinkled to verrucose, verrucae 0.4-0.8 mm diam., often bursting and developing superficial or capitate soralia. Soredia 20-40 µm diam. Isidia absent. Apothecia scattered, 0.7-3.5 mm diam., disc plane, becoming convex with age, brown or dark-brown, epruinose, glossy, margins ± prominent in young fruits, rather thin, slightly darker than disc or paler than disc, entire, becoming flexuose in older fruits. Epithecium orange-brown, diffuse, 15-20 µm thick. Hymenium 120-160 µm tall, I+ reddish. Ascospores (4-)8 per ascus, 3-septate, straight or curved, 35-40 × 16-19 µm. Chemistry: KC-, Pd+ orange. Pannarin and zeorin.

N: South Auckland (Te Aroha) to Wellington. S: Nelson to Fiordland, mainly west of Main Divide and at Manapouri. Common in stunted podocarp forest in wetter western areas, less commonly on Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides, 500-1000 m.

Australasian