Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecanora solenospora Müll.Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier 1: 38 (1893).

=Sarrameana tasmanica Vězda & Kantvilas, Lichenologist 20 (2): 179 (1988).

Description : Thallus greyish white, thin to rather verrucose. Apothecia 0.5–1.3 mm diam., lecideine; margins pale brown to ±translucent greyish, persistent, covered or surrounded by a whitish, entire or rather ragged thalline layer and appearing lecanorine, at least when young; disc pale to deep reddish brown to blackish brown, mostly plane, pale grey-pruinose, epruinose at maturity. Exciple hyaline, inspersed with red-brown granules, K+ fleeting yellow and dissolving; hyaline thalline tissue surrounding exciple K+ yellow. Epithecium of dense red-brown to yellow-brown granules, K+ fleeting yellow and dissolving in part. Hymenium colourless, inspersed with oil droplets to 7 μm diam., also with occasional red-brown granules, K+ fleeting yellow and dissolving. Paraphyses simple, apices hyaline or pale brownish. Hypothecium hyaline or with reddish brown granules, K+ fleeting yellow, dissolving. Ascospores narrowly ellipsoidal to broadly fusiform, curved, (18–)20–33 × 4.5–6 μm, simple or very rarely with 1 or 3 septa. Pycnidia very rare, immersed, visible as minute black dots, 0.05 mm diam. Conidia 3–5.5 × 0.5 μm.

Chemistry : Cortex K+ yellow, Pd−; containing thamnolic acid.

S: Nelson (Saddle Hill Track). On upper branches of fallen Dacrycarpus dacrydioides. Still very poorly known and collected in New Zealand. Also in Victoria and Tasmania in Australia (Vězda & Kantvilas 1988; Kantvilas et al. 1994; Farkas 1995; Kantvilas & Vězda 1996; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Kantvilas 2004e).

Australasian

Illustrations : Vězda & Kantvilas (1988: 180, fig. 1 – as Sarrameana tasmanica).

Loxospora solenospora is characterised by: the corticolous habit; lecideine apothecia that may appear leanorine because of a whitish thalline layer that loosely overlies the proper exciple, especially when young. Farkas (1995: 101) noted differences in ascus apex structure and ascospore shape in this species [as Sarrameana tasmanica] and recorded Stefan Ekman's opinion that it rightly belongs in Loxospora and not Sarrameana. Sarrameana tasmanica was proposed for conservation over the earlier unused and overlooked name Lecanora solenospora Müll.Arg. (Kantvilas 1996a); however, this proposal was subsequently rejected (Gams 1998: 446–447).