Flora of New Zealand Series

≡*Endocarpon crombiei [" crombii "] Mudd, Monogr. Br. Clad.: 36 (1865).

≡*Pharcidia crombiei (Mudd) Sacc. & D. Sacc., Syll. Fung. 17: 648 (1905).

=*Nesolechia vermicularis Arnold, Flora 57: 100 (1874).

≡*Stegia vermicularis (Arnold) Keissler, Annln naturh. Mus. Wien 38: 163 (1925).

Description : Lichenicolous on Thamnolia as host. Perithecia immersed in irregular, blistered, gall-like deformations of the host lichen, not erumpent, the ostiole remaining below the surface of the gall, numerous, arising singly but often crowded together, not stromatic, subglobose to obpyriform, subhyaline to pale-reddish or olivaceous, 100–150 μm diam., ostiole not lined with periphyses, 25–50 μm wide; walls of 3–6 layers of interwoven hyphae (textura intricata), subhyaline to pale-reddish or olivaceous near ostiole, mainly 7–10(–15) μm thick. Paraphyses arising from base of perithecial cavity, numerous, persistent, filiform, simple, sparsely septate, 1–2.5 μm diam., variable in length, some extending into ostiolar region, apices not differentiated and with no tendency to form an epithecium. Asci unitunicate, wall ±equal in thickness when mature but apex slightly thickened in young asci and including an indistinct "chitinous" area not reacting with I, cylindrical to elongate-clavate, 50–65 × 5–7 μm. Ascospores irregularly arranged, overlapping distichous to almost uniseriate, ellipsoidal with rounded ends, simple, hyaline, 0–2-guttulate, smooth-walled, 8–10(–11) × 3– 5 μm.

S: Otago (Pisa Ra., Old Man Ra., Rock & Pillar Ra.), Southland (Mt Burns). In alpine to high-alpine grasslands. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, North America (Hawksworth 1980b; Hafellner & Sancho 1990; Ihlen 1995; Santesson et al. 2004).

Bipolar

Host : Thamnolia vermicularis.

Illustrations : Hawskworth (1980b: 179, fig. 6); Hafellner & Sancho (1990: 381, fig. 2).

* Thamnogalla crombiei is characterised by: the lichenicolous habit; galls that vary considerably in shape and size and cause the branches of the host lichen to become deformed, often becoming geniculate rather than erect, and slightly pinkish instead of the characteristic chalky white. It appears to be a weak parasite or a parasymbiont (Hawksworth 1980b: 178).