Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Biatora castanea Hepp, Fl. eur.: 270 (1857).

Description : Thallus crustose, granular, to 1 cm diam., granules convex, 0.05–0.1 mm diam., brownish or greyish. Apothecia lecanorine, round to irregular, plane to subconvex. 1–3 mm diam., disc red-brown to dark-brown or brown-black, epruinose. Proper margin distinct, slightly raised, paler than disc. Hymenium 45–60(–80) μm tall; epithecium brownish. Ascospores ellipsoidal to fusiform, simple, rarely 2–4-septate, (10.5–)15–25(–28) × 5–7 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus K+ yellow→red, C−, KC+ red, Pd+ orange; containing norstictic acid.

S: Canterbury (Mt Peel, 1700–1744 m). Amongst mosses, plant detritus and soil in alpine fellfield. Recorded only once to date from New Zealand, collected in January 1985 by Helmut Mayrhofer and Hannes Hertel (Poelt & Obermayer 1991: 12). Undoubtedly more widespread in the Canterbury foothill ranges and on the Central Otago mountains where it should be looked for. Known also from the European Alps, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard, North America, Nepal, the South Shetland Is and the Antarctic Peninsula (Poelt 1983; Holtan-Hartwig 1991; Poelt & Obermayer 1991; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Hansen 1995; Elvebakk & Hertel 1997; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004; Søchting et al. 2004).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Poelt (1983: 75, fig. 1A, B; 81, fig. 7A, C); Poelt & Obermayer (1991: 20, fig. 2A; 21, fig. 3A, D); Hansen (1995: 80).

Bryonora castanea is characterised by: the muscicolous/terricolous habit; the evanescent, granular, grey-brown thallus; prominent, red-brown to brown-black, epruinose apothecia with a slightly raised proper exciple, paler than disc; ellipsoidal to fusiform ascospores, (10.5–)15–25(–28) × 5–7 μm; and norstictic acid (K+ yellow→red).