Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Platygrapha quadrangula Stirt., Proc. phil. Soc. Glasgow 11: 103 (1878).

Description : Flora (1985: 23–24).

Chemistry : TLC−, all reactions negative.

N: Auckland (Waitakere Ra., Titirangi). S: Westland (Lake Kaniere). On leaves of Metrosideros excelsa (Bartlett 1988) and on leaves of Asplenium flaccidum and Pseudowintera colorata. Still very poorly collected and understood in this country. Known also from Mexico (Herrera-Campos et al. 2004), Central America and tropical South America (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil), Argentina (Ferraro & Lücking 2000), Africa (Santesson 1952; Lücking 1992; Farkas & Sipman 1997; Lücking & Kalb 2002; Farkas 2004) and Réunion (Rønhede et al. 2003). It is not known from Hawai'i (Smith et al. 1997) or Australia (Filson 1996).

Pantropical

Illustrations : Santesson (1952: 301, fig. 47); Kalb & Vězda (1988b: pl. 4A–C); Lücking (1992: 100, fig. 35B); Lücking (1997a: 30, fig. 2E–F); Ferraro & Lücking (2000: 61, fig 1B–C); Malcolm & Malcom (2001: 38, 42); Farkas (2004: 115, fig. 3).

Aulaxina quadrangula is characterised by: the foliicolous habit (on the upper surface of leaves near margins or the midrib); the conspicuous, large, angular-rounded apothecia; dark-brown exciple, 12–18 μm thick; 2–8 (commonly 6 in New Zealand material), colourless submuriform ascospores, with 3–8 transverse septa and 0–2 longitudinal septa per cell, 13–25 × 5–8(–10) μm.