Canoparmelia norpruinata
Description : Thallus adnate, 5–10 cm wide. Lobes crowded, imbricate, subirregular, 2–7 mm wide, apices rounded. Upper surface pale-grey to grey-green, glossy, becoming dull, markedly wrinkled, without maculae, soredia, isidia or pustules, usually with granular white pruina at lobe apices (use × 10 lens). Medulla white. Lower surface black to brown-black, with a pale-cream to brown marginal zone. Rhizines spare to moderately dense, often more prominent subapically, simple to tufted, black. Apothecia common, sessile to subpedicellate, 3–15 mm diam., disc concave to undulate-distorted and gyrose, epruinose, red-brown to dark brown-black; exciple involute, smooth, glossy, often pruinose. Ascospores 9–11 × 6– 8 μm. Pycnidia numerous, elevated, crateriform. Conidia weakly fusiform to bifusiform, 7–8 × 1 μm.
Chemistry : Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K−, C+ red, KC+ red, Pd−; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, lecanoric acid (major) and, rarely, traces of orsellinic acid.
S: Canterbury (Ashley Gorge), Southland (Rainbow Reach, Waiau River). On Kunzea ericoides and Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides. Still rather poorly known and collected, but no doubt more widespread than present records show. Formerly thought to be an Australian endemic (Elix & Johnstone 1988a; Elix 1994d; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
Australasian
Illustrations : Elix & Johnstone (1988a: 494, fig. 2); Elix (1994d: 25, fig. 34B).
Canoparmelia norpruinata is characterised by: the robust thallus; conspicuous rather contorted apothecia; the presence of lecanoric acid in the medulla; and the absence of isidia and soredia.
