Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Pertusaria cucurbitula Mont. in C. Gay, Hist. fis. pol. Chile Bot. 8: 200 (1852).

≡Porina cucurbitula (Mont.) C.Bab. in J.D. Hooker, Fl. Nov. Zel. 2: 306 (1855).

≡Lecanora cucurbitula (Mont.) Müll.Arg., Flora 67: 465 (1884).

≡Perforaria cucurbitula (Mont.) Müll.Arg., Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital. 23: 126 (1891).

=Porina granulata Hook.f. & Taylor, Lond. J.Bot. 3: 640 (1844) non. Ach. [ Ach., Syn. meth. Lich.: 112 (1814)].

=Pertusaria thelioplaca Nyl., Compt. Rend. Hebd. Séances Acad. Sci. Paris, sér. D, 83: 90 (1876).

=Lecanora peponula Müll.Arg., Flora 67: 466 (1884).

≡Perforaria peponula (Müll.Arg.) Müll.Arg., Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital. 23: 126 (1891).

≡Pertusaria peponula (Müll.Arg.) Hellb., Bihang. K. Sv. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 21 (3/13): 77 (1896).

=Pertusaria adveniens Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 70 (1888).

=Pertusaria adventans Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 70 (1888).

Porina granulata. Holotype: New Zealand. Auckland I. [Lord Auckland's Group], J.D. Hooker – FH – sheet 104 [Edward Tuckerman has annotated Taylor's type as follows: "A much misunderstood lichen of which Taylor's is the oldest name, and the others may be set down as follows. Pertusaria granulata (Hook. & Tayl. sub Porina) 1844. Parmelia (Physcia) coccophora Mont. Chil. 1852. Lecanora coccophora Nyl. Chil. Thelocarpon coccophorum Nyl. Pyren. Pertusaria coccophora, Nyl. Later P. thamnoplaca Tuckerm. 1877. The last name w'd not have been given, had it occurred to the writer to look for the plant under either Parmelia, Lecanora, or last & strangest of all, Thelocarpon!! Taylor's description is also too incomplete for recognition (Lich. Antarct. in Lond. Journ. Botn., 3, 640)". Rolf Santesson in 1966 has annotated the specimen "Coccotrema granulata (Hook.f. & Tayl.) (Not Lepolichen coccophorus (Mont.)", and Richard Harris has given the chemistry as "Norstictic, stictic and constictic acid and unknown weak Pd+".]

Pertusaria thelioplaca. Holotype: New Zealand. Campbell I., 1874, Filhol – H-NYL 23550.

Lecanora peponula. Holotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], Dr C. Knight – G not seen.

Pertusaria adveniens. Holotype: New Zealand. Westland, Greymouth, 1186, R.Helms 267 – H-NYL 23577.

Pertusaria adventans. Holotype: New Zealand. Westland, Greymouth 1886, R.Helms 273 – H-NYL 23579.

Description : Flora (1985: 129).

Chemistry : Cortex K+ yellow→red, C−, KC+ red, Pd+ orange; containing stictic, constictic, norstictic and salazinic acids, and one or two unidentified compounds. Messuti (1996: 61) lists four separate chemodemes.

N: Northland (Great Barrier I., Puketi Forest), South Auckland (Mt Moehau Coromandel Peninsula, Waihaha), Taranaki (Mt Taranaki), Wellington (Volcanic Plateau, Tararua Ra.). S: Nelson to Southland. St: (Tin Ra., Fraser Peaks). C: Widespread, on bark and twigs in humid habitats, mainly coastal though also inland in beech forests east of the Main Divide, rarely on rocks in alpine areas. Often found with Miltidea ceroplasta on the bark of Dacrydium cupressinum; also well-developed on twigs of Dracophyllum in subalpine scrub. Known also from Japan, China, Ceylon, Malaysia, New Guinea, New Caledonia New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in Australia, Chile and Argentina (Oshio 1968; Yoshimura 1974; Kantvilas 1990c; Filson 1996; Messuti 1996; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Messuti & Vobis 2003).

Western Pacific

Illustrations : Oshio (1968: 87, fig. 3A– F; pl. 1, fig. 2); Yoshimura (1974: pl. 22, fig. 186); Henssen (1976: 125, fig. 6A–C; pl.XIII A, B; pl. XIV A–F; pl. XV B, G); Honegger (1982: 214, fig. 6C–F); Messuti (1996: 60, fig. 2A, B): Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 68, 98, 122, 149); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 77, 122); Lumbsch et al. (2001b: 23).

Coccotrema cucurbitula is characterised by: the pale whitish, greyish or creamish, warted-lumpy crustose thallus; scattered, globose cephalodia (grey-blue when wet, pinkish or yellow-pink when dry); perithecia-like apothecia immersed in verrucae with a swollen margin (without isidia) and an apical pore; the stictic acid chemosyndrome.