Bunodophoron australe
≡Sphaerophorus australis Laurer, Linnaea 2: 44 (1827).
≡Sphaerophorus compressus var. australis (Laurer) Linds., Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinb. 22: 151 (1859).
≡Sphaerophorus melanocarpus var. australis (Laurer) Js.Murray, Trans. Roy. Soc. N. Z. 88: 188 (1960).
Description : Flora (1985: 532–533 as Sphaerophorus melanocarpus auct [non (Sw.) DC.]). See also Wedin (1995b: 38; 2001a: 4).
Chemistry : Medulla K+ yellow, Pd+ orange-red; containing placodiolic acid (major), sphaerophorin (minor), stictic acid (major in thallus, minor in ascoma), constictic acid (major in thallus, minor in ascoma), ascomatic acid (tr.) and an unidentified pigment in the mazedium (Wedin 1995b).
N: Northland to Wellington. S: Nelson & Marlborough to Southland. St: Ch: A: C: Widespread, common in rainforest, rarely on soil or rock. Also in SE Australia, Tasmania, Brazil, and southern Chile, including Juan Fernandez (Wedin 2001a: 4; Aptroot 2002e; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
Austral
Illustrations : Tibell (1987: 231, fig. 172A – as Sphaerophorus australis); Wedin (1995b: 39, fig. 8C, D); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 79); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 36); Flora of Australia58A (2001: xi, pl.1).
Exsiccati : Tibell (1982: No. 71 – as Sphaerophorus melanocarpus).
Bunodophoron australe is characterised by: the corticolous (rarely saxicolous or terricolous) habit; its pale, usually bluish grey colour, the relatively richly branched, narrowly compressed, smooth thallus and relatively small, smooth apothecia. The chemistry with placodiolic acid as major metabolite is characteristic. Small specimens may be similar to B. microsporum and/or B. whakapapaense, but these taxa differ in chemistry and spore size. Large specimens are similar to B. ohlssonii, which has much larger, reddish brown spores and a usually wrinkled upper surface to the ascoma. B. ramuliferum differs from B. australe in having a different branching pattern, terete branches with usually abundant coralloid branchlets, isousnic acid as a major metabolite, and larger spores.
