Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Buellia copelandii Körb., Zweite Deutsche Nordpolarfahrt 2: 79 (1874).

Description : Thallus areolate in patches, 1–3 cm diam., on a black prothallus. Areolae flat to subconvex, rounded to angular, to 0.9 mm diam., pale ashy grey to creamy white, slightly glossy. Apothecia to 1 mm diam., flat to convex, black, matt or glossy, sometimes slightly roughened, margin persistent, thin or thick, concolorous with disc. Hymenium 100–140 μm tall, colourless; epithecium greenish to red-black, K− or + faint reddish. Hypothecium red-brown to dark-brown. Asci clavate, 8-spored. Ascospores 1-septate, dark bluish green, 20.5–22 × 9–12 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus and medulla K+ yellow→red, C−, KC+ red, Pd+ yellowish, I−; containing stictic and norstictic acids.

S: Otago (Poolburn Reservoir, Museum Rock, Rock & Pillar Ra., Gem Lake Umbrella Mts). On schist tors, 1280 m (Fryday 2000a: 37). Associating with Lecanora swartzii, Rhizocarpon geographicum, R. grande. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, the Arctic, Jan Meyen, Spitzbergen, Greenland, Siberia, North America and Antarctica (Lynge 1932, 1936; Thomson 1968a, 1979, 1997; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Øvstedal & Gremmen 1995; Elvebakk & Hertel 1997; Hafellner & Türk 2001; Llimona & Hladun 2001; Øvstedal and Lewis Smith 2001; Coppins 2002b; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004).

Bipolar

Rhizocarpon copelandii is characterised by: the pale-greyish areolate thallus, with a black prothallus; dark bluish green, 1-septate ascospores; and stictic and norstictic acids in the medulla (K+ yellow→red). More than one species is probably represented in Northern Hemisphere material (Dr A. Fryday, pers. comm.) – some collections have a thallus composed of flat, grey contiguous areolae that contain only stictic acid (K+ yellow, Pd+ orange). New Zealand material agrees with the type, in having a pale-grey thallus composed of convex areolae that contain norstictic acid. New Zealand populations have ascospores that are slightly shorter than typical Northern Hemisphere material, but they are similar in all other characters (Fryday 2000a: 37).