Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Canterbury. Lewis Pass, Waterfalls Track, 42º21.9's, 172º15.1'E, 680 m, on leaves of Pseudowintera colorata in mixed Nothofagus -podocarp submontane forest, 13.xi.1993, W. Malcolm 1335 – CHR. Isotypes – BM, CANB, DUKE, ESS, GZU, H, HO, M, PRM, TSB, UPS, VBI, Herb. K. Kalb, Herb. A. Vězda.

Description : Thallus crustose, subepiphloeodal on smooth bark or epicuticular on leaves and fern pinnae, thin to nearly indistinct, ashen green or pale grey-green or pale- to medium-green, 15–30 μm thick, continuous to rimose, usually matt to occasionally ±glossy, smooth or minutely uneven, ecorticate. Photobiont Phycopeltis -like, loosely filamentous with irregular, mostly rectangular cells, 10–20 × 5–7 μm, or forming continuous linked radiating plates. Prothallus and basal layer absent. Perithecia scattered, slightly immersed to ±superficial, applanate, convex or hemispherical, pale brownish yellow to yellow-brown or orange-brown to ±concolorous with thallus, (0.25–)0.5(–0.75) mm diam., sometimes weakly white-pubescent, naked around ostiole. Apex usually plane to convex, occasionally subconcave, concolorous with upper part of perithecium or pale red-brown. Ostiole inconspicuous. Involucrellum yellow-brown to orange-brown in section, 30–55 μm thick, with a thin, photobiont-containing thalline covering, dimidiate, extending to exciple base level, K+ reddish. Exciple closed, hyaline to pale yellow-brown, 14–20 μm thick. Centrum moderately to strongly depressed-ovate, 0.15–0.26 mm diam. Periphyses absent. Paraphyses simple, 0.7–0.9 μm. Asci elongate-cylindrical or oblong, 82–124 × 14–20 μm, with a subtruncate apex with a chitinoid ring (orange-red in Congo Red). Ascospores colourless, 7-septate, elongate-fusiform to oblong, straight or curved, (25–)34(–45) × (6–)7.5(–10) μm. Pycnidia not seen.

S: Nelson (Kaihoka Lakes, Brook Waterfalls, Miner's Creek), Westland (Kelly's Creek, Lake Kaniere), Canterbury (Waterfalls Track Lewis Pass). Foliicolous, on leaves of Pseudowintera colorata, Podocarpus totara and a variety of lowland ferns, also on smooth bark of Ripogonum scandens and twigs and needles of Podocarpus totara (Lücking & Malcolm 1997; Malcolm et al. 1999). Also known from Tasmania and New South Wales and Victoria in Australia (Malcolm et al. 1999; McCarthy et al. 2001; McCarthy 2001f: 145; 2003c), and from the Solomon Is (McCarthy 2003b, 2003d).

Palaeotropical

Exsiccati : Vězda (1999b: No. 395).

Illustrations : Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 105, 145 – as Porina applanata); Malcolm et al. (1999: 26, figs 1–4; 27, fig. 6); Flora of Australia58A (2001: 103, pl. 53); Malcolm & Malcolm (2001: 37).

Porina subapplanata is characterised by: the foliicolous habit; the thin, grey-green to green thallus with a Phycopeltis -like photobiont; perithecia are rather small but appear much broader as a result of their wide-spreading and applanate involucrellum; and comparatively broad, 7-septate ascospores. New Zealand material was formerly treated as Porina applanata Vain. (Lücking & Malcolm 1997). It was recently shown to be an independent species by Malcolm et al. (1999) who discuss its variation, distribution and ecology.