Flora of New Zealand Series

=S. leucopodioides Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 12 (1888).

Sphinctrina leucopodioides. Holotype: New Zealand "Nova Zelandia (sub no. 341)", sine loco, 1867, C. Knight – H-NYL 40987.

Descriptions : Flora (1985: 537); Tibell (1987: 259–260).

Chemistry : TLC−, all reactions negative.

N: Northland (Te Huka to Wellsford), Auckland (Piha), South Auckland (Waikawau Beach, Coromandel Peninsula). On coastal rocks and on the bark of Beilschmiedia tawa, Metrosideros excelsa, Rhopalostylis sapida and Vitex lucens. Sea level to 240 m. Parasitic on thalli of species of Pertusaria. Rare and hard to find (Tibell 1987; Bartlett 1988). Known also from the Northern Hemisphere where it is widely distributed, North, Central and South America, Africa, Socotra, Asia, Europe and Australia (Tibell 1987, 1996b, 2004; Kalb 1991; Aptroot 2002e; Diederich 2003; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Tibell & Thor 2003; Mies & Schultz 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustration : Tibell (1987: 260, fig. 196).

Sphinctrina tubaeformis is characterised (and readily recognised) by: the corticolous/saxicolous habit; the large and broadly ellipsoidal spores having a distinctive ornamentation of longitudinally arranged and reticulately interconnected ridges. New Zealand material differs from Northern Hemisphere collections in often having a well-developed and often quite narrow stalk and smaller apothecia (Tibell 1987).