Porina semecarpi
Description : Thallus epiphyllous, round to irregular, to 15 mm diam., grey to greyish green, matt, continuous centrally, somewhat dispersed at margins, without a prothallus. Photobiont Phycopeltis, cells rectangular, forming radiating plates. Perithecia 0.15–0.25 mm diam., globose, constricted at base, sides yellow-orange, with a thin greyish and often roughened thalline covering; apex smooth, yellow-orange to orange-brown, ostiole inconspicuous or slightly darker. Involucrellum extending to exciple base level, yellow-orange to orange-brown, subtended by a thin layer of algal cells. Exciple 10 μm thick, pale yellow-brown. Asci narrowly obclavate to cylindrical-clavate, 55–80 × 8–12 μm. Ascospores fusiform to oblong, 3-septate, 17–26 × 3–6 μm, without a perispore. Pycnidia not seen.
N: Auckland (Waitakere Ra.). S: Canterbury (Mt Peel). On leaves of Beilschmiedia tawa in dense bush (Bartlett 1988: 20) and on leaves of Metrosideros diffusa (Moberg 1989: 7). Known also from Macaronesia W Africa, E Africa, Japan, Java, the Philippines, New Guinea and Australia (Santesson 1952; Thor et al. 2000; McCarthy 2001f, 2003c, 2006). A detailed geographical distribution of the species (plus map) is given in McCarthy (2003d: 88–89; 89, fig. 10).
Pantropical
Exsiccati : Moberg (1989: No. 69).
Porina semecarpi is characterised by: the foliicolous habit; the greyish green, patchy thallus without a visible prothallus; the subglobose, yellow-orange to orange-brown perithecia; and fusiform to oblong, 3-septate ascospores, 17–26 × 3–6 μm.
