Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecanora sphinctrina var. leproloma Nyl., Compt. Rend. Hebd. Séances Acad. Sci. Paris, sér. D, 83: 89 (1876).

≡Psoroma leprolomum (Nyl.) Räsänen, Annls Bot. Soc. zool.-bot. fenn. Vanamo 2: 45 (1932).

Lectotype: New Zealand. Campbell I., 1874, M. Filhol s.n. – H-NYL 30779 [fide Galloway (1985a: 477)].

Description : Flora (1985: 476–477 – as Psoroma leprolomum).

Chemistry : PD+; containing vicanicin and leprolomin (Elix et al. 1978a: 2064; Quilhot et al.1989).

N: Northland (Te Paki, Wairau Valley, Tapu Bush Kaipara, Little Barrier I., Great Barrier I.), Auckland (Ponui I.), South Auckland (Great Mercury I., Mt Tarawera, Kaimanawa Ra.), Wellington (Tararua Ra., Karori, Rimutaka Ra.).S: Nelson (Cobb Valley, Lake Rotoiti, St Arnaud Ra.), Marlborough (Ure River), Westland (Otira), Canterbury (Arthur's Pass), Otago (Lake Howden, Arrowtown, Mt Cargill, Saddle Hill, Leith Valley, Akatore, Tautuku Bay), Southland (Bluff Hill, Riverton Bush, Rowallan Burn). St: (Freshwater Valley). A:, C: Throughout on bark of trees and shrubs in humid, partially shaded habitats, rarely on rocks, common and widespread, s.l. to 1000 m. Known also from Australia and southern South America (Galloway & Quilhot 1999; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Austral

Exsiccati : Elix (1987: No. 146; 1989: No.192 – as Psoroma leprolomum).

Illustrations : Jørgensen & Galloway (1992b: 286, fig. 98A); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 129) – both as Psoroma leprolomum.

Pannaria leproloma is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the orbicular to spreading, bright-green to olive-green thallus without a prothallus; laciniate lobes that are raised at the margins, and areolate–scabrid in parts with tomentose apices; a conspicuous development of marginal and laminal soralia producing greenish white to white, granular soredia (though considerable variation in position and texture of soredia exists); small, globose cephalodia on both upper and lower surfaces; scattered sessile to subpedicellate apothecia with a pale-orange-red to dark-brown disc that is occasionally centrally perforate, or is gyrose-etched, and with a thalline margin that becomes sorediate; subglobose to oval–ellipsoidal ascospores (occasionally also apiculate), 12–18 × 9–12 μm; and a secondary chemistry of vicanicin and leprolomin. It has a green alga as major photobiont. As presently circumscribed, P. leproloma undoubtedly represents an "aggregate" of several species, a point made earlier (Galloway 1985a: 477), and which is confirmed by recent field studies in both New Zealand and southern South America by A. Elvebakk, who currently has the group under investigation.