Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand, Otago. West Matukituki Valley, Mt French, on rock 1600 m. DJ. Galloway, 1967, FH.

Thallus to 3 cm tall, primary thallus ± persistent, of branching, ± dorsiventral, ascending lobes. Pseudopodetia simple, erect, often 1-2-branched at apices, ± continuously corticate, cortex distinctly verrucose-areolate. Phyllocladia absent. Cephalodia sessile, basal or occasionally inserted above the base of the pseudopodetia, pale yellowish or olive green, rounded, corrugate-scrobiculate or even botryose, alga Stigonema. Apothecia terminal, often 2-3-clustered at apices of fertile pseudopodetia, disc black, to 3 mm diam., plane or concave at first with a thin margin but consistently convex and immarginate at maturity. Ascospores 6-8 per ascus, elongate-fusiform, 5-9-septate, 40-70 × 4-6 µm. Chemistry: Atranorin, fumarprotocetraric and salazinic (tr.) acids.

S: Arthur's Pass, Western Otago and Fiordland (Dusky Sound). Alpine on schist in Otago and greywacke in Canterbury, in high-rainfall areas, from 850-2200 m.

Endemic

S. loricatum is closely related to S. gregarium and is often sympatric with it, and with S. caespitosum. It is distinguished from S. gregarium in the following characters: pseudopodetia nearly always irregularly moderately branched and taller, cortex distinctly verrucose-areolate, primary thallus of prostrate to ascending, branching, ± dorsiventral lobes, and different medullary chemistry.