Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Sticta crocata var. mallota Tuck., Syn. N. Amer. Lich. 1: 101 (1882).

Description : Thallus rather small, orbicular, 1–3 cm diam., corticolous, rather closely attached over most of lower surface, margins ±free. Lobes (2–)5–10 (–15) mm diam., usually rather narrow, laciniate to rounded, imbricate, undulate, margins ragged, incised, often subascendent, sinuous, white-tomentose to densely granular-yellow-sorediate, often eroded below and yellow-sorediate, or with scattered to confluent yellow pseudocyphellae, rarely with dense clustered, phyllidia. Upper surface dark brownish or blue-grey, tinged reddish when moist, buff- brown or lurid grey-brown when dry, undulate, without faveolae, finely to coarsely wrinkled-uneven, coriaceous, verrucose-areolate (×10 lens), sparsely to densely white-tomentose, tomentum silky, glistening, especially at margins (×10 lens); sorediate. Soredia granular, yellow to greyish yellow, in laminal (also marginal), coarsely erumpent, rounded verruciform soralia (0.2–1 mm diam.), often eroded-yellow. Medulla white. Lower surface whitish to pale pinkish buff, glabrous and minutely wrinkled centrally, ±densely white-tomentose at margins, sometimes densely and uniformly tomentose from margins to centre, tomentum short, tick, woolly, whitish to pale-buff to greyish, stouter and more entangled than hairs of upper surface. Pseudocyphellae yellow, vivid, conspicuous in a ±continuous zone at margins, rather rare and scattered centrally, flat 0.1–0.4 mm diam., round to irregular. Apothecia and pycnidia not seen in New Zealand material.

Chemistry : Calycin, pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone and several unidentified compounds.

S: Otago (Routeburn Valley). On Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides (Galloway 2003a, 2003b). Known also from Chile, Argentina and Juan Fernandez (Galloway 1986b, 1992c).

Austral

Illustrations : Galloway (1986b: 137, fig. 13; 138, fig. 14; 2003a: 10, fig. 2).

Pseudocyphellaria mallota is characterised by: a white medulla, a cyanobacterial photobiont; orbicular to irregular lobes with coarsely erumpent laminal and marginal yellowish soralia.