Lecidea chalybeiza Nyl.
L. nigrescens Knight, Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. Bot., ser. 2, 1: 276 (1877).
L. sylvicolella Nyl., Lich. N.Z.: 108 (1888).
Type: New Zealand. Otago, super saxa schistosa. Admiral Jones. H-NYL - not seen.
L. nigrescens. Type: New Zealand. Sine loco (prob. Wellington). Charles Knight, ex Herb. J.M. Crombie, BM!
L. sylvicolella. Holotype: New Zealand. Westland, Greymouth. Lapidicola cum. L. atroflavella. Richard Helms 252, 1886, H-NYL 10640 pr.p.!
Thallus dark grey or grey blue, in small, dispersed granules, appearing as a blue-grey stain on small pebbles, 0.5-2 cm diam. Apothecia scattered, frequent, minute, 0.2-0.3 mm diam., black, matt, epruinose, plane to subconvex, margin thin, black, present in young fruits, absent in older fruits. Epithecium green-black, 3-5 µm thick. Hymenium colourless, 30 µm tall. Paraphyses thick, dense, swollen apices pigmented greenish-black, 5 µm thick. Hypothecium brownish-grey, 20 µm thick. Ascospores ellipsoid 5-8.3 × 2.5-3.5 µm.
N: S: Throughout, on small, waterworn pebbles and stones on stream sides and on beaches.
Cosmopolitan
This species is discussed in detail by Hertel [ Ergebn. Forsch. Unternehmens Nepal Himal. 6 (3): 306-307 (1977)].
