Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lichen aculeatus Schreb., Spicil. fl. lips.: 125 (1771).

≡Coelocaulon aculeatum (Schreb.) Link, Grundr. Kräuterk. 3: 165 (1833).

Description : Flora (1985: 131 – as Coelocaulon aculeatum). Asci 45–55 × 10–13 μm; axial body c. 1 μm, maximum tholus thickness 2.5 μm. Ascospores ellipsoidal 5.5–6.5 × 2.5–3.5 μm. Conidia oblong-citriform 5 × 1.5 μm (Kärnefelt et al. 1993; Thell et al. 2002).

Chemistry : Medulla and pseudocyphellae K−, KC−, C−, Pd−, UV−; containing lichesterinic and protolichesterinic acids.

S: Nelson (Mt Arthur), Canterbury (Mt Peel, Blue Mountain Four Peaks Ra., Kirkliston Ra.), Otago (Strachan Creek Burke Valley, Duncan's Knob, E Matukituki Valley, Humboldt Mts, Pisa Ra., Dunstan Mts, Old Man Ra., Garvie Mts, Umbrella Mts). St: (Mt Anglem). Exposed alpine grassland, cushion vegetation, soil stripes and hummocks and fellfield, on the ground, on mossy rocks or straggling amongst low vegetation, never on bare rock. Not recorded from North I. Widely distributed in alpine and polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere, at high elevations in South and East Africa, in South America from Peru to Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Is, South Orkney and South Shetland Is and the Palmer Peninsula, Antarctica (Kärnefelt 1986: 60, fig. 30; Sancho et al. 1999; Søchting et al. 2004), and from alpine areas in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania (Kantvilas 1994b; Becker 2002; Kantvilas et al. 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 79); Thomson (1984: 198); Kärnefelt (1986: 47, fig. 23C; 48, fig. 24C– F; 55, fig 27A–D; 57, fig. 28A– F; 58, fig. 29A– E); Phillips (1987: 185 – as Cornicularia aculeata); Wirth (1987: 167. 1995b: 269); Dobson (1992: 124; 2000: 108; 2005: 118); Krog et al. (1994: 174 – as Coelocaulon aculeatum); McCune & Geiser (1997: 98, 99); Randlane et al. (1997: 112, fig. 3); Brodo et al. (2001: 215, pl. 187); Øvstedal & Lewis Smith (2001: pl. 28); Kantvilas et al. (2002: 26); Sérusiaux et al. (2004: 41).

Cetraria aculeata differs from C. muricata in the size and surface structure of the lobes and the structure of the pseudocyphellae. C. aculeata has large lobes 2–4(–10) cm tall, while the lobes in C. muricata are up to 3 cm tall, and the lobes in C. aculeata are up to 1 mm wide while those of C. muricata reach only 0.5 mm diam. Lobe segments in C. aculeata are terete, angular or slightly flattened, while lobe segments in C. muricata are terete. Lobe surfaces in C. aculeata can be distinctly faveolate with longitudinal furrows, whereas in C. muricata the lobe surface is smooth. Pseudocyphellae in C. aculeata are distinct, up to 1 mm long and depressed, while those in C. muricata are smaller, up to 0.3 mm long and not distinctly depressed (Kärnefelt 1986: 54–55; McCune & Geiser 1997: 98). C. aculeata is distinguished from C. islandica ssp. antarctica by its narrower, richly branched and entangled, ±terete lobes. It may be confused at times with some ecotypes of Cladia aggregata, but is distinguished from this species by its white, loosely packed medulla (×10 lens), which contrasts with the completely hollow pseudopodetia of Cladia aggregata. For differences from closely related taxa see Thell et al. (2002: 284, tab. 1).