Flora of New Zealand Series

S. fuscocinerea (Nyl.) Clauzade & Cl. Roux, Bull. Soc. Centre-Ouest, N. S., Num. Spéc. 7: 829 (1985).

≡Lecidea fuscocinerea Nyl., Nya Bot. Notiser: 177 (1852).

Description : Thallus crustose, areolate, to 30 mm diam and 0.15–35 mm thick; areolae angular, dark-grey to grey-brown, plane to convex, surface rough to smooth, delimited by a black prothallus visible at margins and between areolae. Apothecia rounded, scattered, subimmersed in areolae or between areolae or sessile, not constricted at base, to 3–4 mm diam., disc plane, black, matt, epruinose; margins persistent, black, matt. Exciple 35–55 μm thick, ectal zone green-grey pigmentation 10–15 μm thick, inner zone colourless, medullary zone well-developed. Hypothecium colourless, brown to dark-brown, 60–180 μm thick, subhymenial layer colourless, 30–55 μm thick. Thecium 60–110 μm tall, colourless, I± blue; paraphyses apically branched, not anastomosing, 1.5–2 μm diam., apical cells swollen to 3–4 m diam.; epithecium green, occasionally encrusted with violet granules, 8–12 m thick. Asci 60–70 × 10–12 μm, tholus 2–6 μm thick, outer wall not amyloid (I−), not apparent. Ascospores ellipsoidal to bacillar, non-halonate, 11–15 × 5–6.5 μm.

Chemistry : Cortex K−, C+ red, Pd−: Medulla K−, C+ red, Pd−; containing gyrophoric acid (major), lecanoric acid (minor).

S: Canterbury (Banks Peninsula, Devil's Gap). On hard, basalt outcrops, 670–710 m (Hertel 1989b: 233). Widespread in the Northern Hemisphere at high altitudes and latitudes, also in South Georgia, South Africa and Australia (Hertel 1989b, 2001a, 2004a; Rambold 1989; Elvebakk & Hertel 1997; Brodo et al. 2001; Fryday & Common 2001; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Wirth (1995b: 849); Lunke et al. (1996: 55, figs 5–6; 56, figs 9, 12–13; 61, figs 36–43); Dobson (2000: 354; 2005: 402); Brodo et al. (2001: 651, pl. 796).

Schaereria fuscocinerea is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the dark-grey to grey-brown thallus delimited by a black prothallus (C+ red; containing gyrophoric acid); scattered, black, subimmersed to sessile apothecia, 3–4 mm diam.; ellipsoidal to bacillar ascospores, 11–15 × 5–6.5 μm.