Flora of New Zealand Series

Lectotype: New Zealand. Otago, Kaikorai Hill near Dunedin, on basaltic boulders, x.1861, W. Lauder Lindsay – H-NYL 15369 [fide Hertel (1984b: 418)]. Isolectotype – E.

Description : Flora (1985: 231–232). See also Rambold (1989: 173).

Chemistry : Cortex K− (+red), C−, KC−, Pd− (±orange); medulla K−, C−, KC−, Pd−; containing 2'- O -methylmicrophyllinic acid (major) and norstictic acid (minor or tr.). Rambold (1989: 173–174) discusses five chemodemes found in Australian material.

S: Canterbury (Mt Palm, Lowry Peaks Ra., Banks Peninsula, Lake Pukaki, Bankside Reserve, Canterbury Plains, Rangitata River, Mt Peel) Otago (Lake Ohau, Old Man Ra., Poolburn Reservoir, Rock & Pillar Ra., Silver Peak, Flagstaff, Dunedin). Throughout, on coastal and alpine rocks, on loose pebbles and on outcrops (greywacke and schist), s.l. to 2000 m. Known also from Australia, South Africa (Hertel 1988a, 2001; Rambold 1989; McCarthy 2003c, 2006) and from Tierra del Fuego (Räsänen 1932), though this last record needs checking (Hertel 1997).

Austral

Illustrations : Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 21, 100); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 30, 58); Lumbsch et al. (2001: 32).

Lecidea fuscoatrula is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the glossy (epinecral layer present), grey to copper-brown, areolate upper surface; the thick, black prothallus visible between areolae at thallus margins; the I+ violet medulla; immersed to subimmersed apothecia with black to grey-black matt discs (occasionally subpruinose); the thick dark-brown to brown hypothecium; a grey to black or red-brown, granular epithecium; ellipsoidal ascospores, 6–8.5(–10.5) × 3–4(–5) μm; and 2'- O -methylmicrophyllinic acid in the medulla.