Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Biatora phyllocharis Mont., Annls Sci. nat. Bot. sér. 3, 10: 128 (1848).

Description : Thallus forming ±regular patches, to 1 cm diam., more extensive when thalli become contiguous, pale bluish or blue-grey to ±greenish blue, farinose and very slightly verrucose, developed on a filamentous radiating white prothallus, which is always conspicuous. Apothecia constricted at base, 0.3–0.7 mm diam., 200–300 μm thick; disc blue-white-pruinose, dark-brown to blackish below, margins thin, not prominent, brownish grey, whitish-pruinose to scabrid. Hypothecium pale- to dark-brown, 20–60 μm thick. Hymenium 80–180 μm tall, hyaline. Epithecium 10–20 μm thick, yellowish green, with many crystals and algae. Paraphyses 1–1.5 μm thick, branched and anastomosing. Asci clavate, 70–90 × 18–20 μm. Ascospores 60–85 × 16–20 μm. Campylidia abundant to scattered (often produced on sterile thalli), 0.2–0.3 mm broad (at base), rarely more than 0.35 mm tall, pale-brown with a ±conspicuous orange tinge, sometimes white-pruinose (near base), appearing as small hoods covering tiny but rather deep cupules fringed on their lower side. Cavity lined with conidiogenous layer. Conidiophores 10 × 3 μm. Conidia 1(–3)-septate, 5–7 × 2.5–3.5 μm.

Chemistry : Zeorin, pannarin (minor), 5,7-dichloro-3- O -methylnorlichexanthone (major) and 2,5,7-trichloro-3- O -methylnorlichexanthone (tr.) (Elix et al. 1995a: 92).

N: Auckland (Waitakere Ra.). On leaves of Podocarpus totara (Bartlett 1988: 24). Known also from New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Java, Hawai'i, Tonga, Samoa and Society Is, Africa, Réunion, Mexico, Central America, Brazil and Australia (Santesson 1952; Santesson & Tibell 1988; Lücking 1992; Filson 1996; Elix & McCarthy 1998; Lücking & Kalb 2001; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Rønhede et al. 2003; Herrera-Campos et al. 2004).

Pantropical

Illustrations : Santesson (1952: 516, fig. 87); Sérusiaux (1986: 20, fig. 38; 21, figs 39–44; 22, figs 45–50); Lücking (1992: 153, fig. 57G); Malcolm & Malcolm (2001: 57).

Sporopodium phyllocharis is characterised by: the foliicolous habit; the smooth to irregularly verrucose, pale bluish grey thallus developed on a prominent whitish prothallus; sessile apothecia with dark-brown to blackish discs that are thickly blue-white-pruinose; 1-spored asci; ascospores muriform, ellipsoidal, 60–85 × 16–20 μm; and abundant to scattered campylidia.