Lecidea ceroplasta (C.Bab.) Hook.f.
Biatora ceroplasta Church. Bab., Fl. N.Z. 2: 300 (1855).
Lecidea rubricatula Stirton, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. Bot. 14: 468 (1875).
L. cinnabaroides Knight, T.N.Z.I. 15: 351 (1883).
Miltidea rutilescens Stirton, T.N.Z.I. 30: 385 (1898).
M. venustula Stirton, T.N.Z.I. 30: 385 (1898).
Holotype: New Zealand. Sine loco. Colenso, ex Herb. Hooker, BM!
L. rubricatula. Lectotype: New Zealand. Near Wellington. J. Buchanan 159, BM!
L. cinnabaroides. Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco (prob. Wellington). Charles Knight 1883, WELT!
Miltidea rutilescens. Lectotype: New Zealand. Near Wellington. J. Buchanan. Rec'd August 1876, BM!
Miltidea subrutila. Holotype: New Zealand. Near Wellington. J. Buchanan. Rec'd September 1876, GLAM!
Miltidea venusta. Lectotype: New Zealand. Near Wellington. J. Buchanan, BM!
Miltidea venustula. Type not located: New Zealand. Near Wellington. J. Buchanan.
Thallus pale greenish-grey, glaucous-green to pale greyish or brownish, ± areolate-cracked, or ± continuous, areolae plane or subconvex, matt or shining, ± translucent in parts, smooth or minutely white-papillate or tuberculate, with numerous minute, reddish, granular apothecial initials(?), in irregular patches 2-8(-10) cm diam. Apothecia scattered, single, rarely paired and then deformed through mutual pressure, sessile, 0.1-2.5 mm diam., plane to convex, disc orange-red to red-brown (K+ purple) or rust-red, smooth or minutely granular, epruinose, translucent when wet, margins thin, entire to ± crenulate or verrucose, persistent, or ± excluded at maturity, concolorous with disc or paler. Epithecium dense, granular, yellow-brown, opaque, K+ purple-magenta, 9-15 µm thick. Hymenium markedly inspersed with granules and oil droplets, colourless, 60-85 µm tall. Paraphyses simple, septate, 1-2 µm diam., clavate, brownish, granular at apices and there 3-5 µm diam. Asci clavate, 68-75 × 10-14 µm. Ascospores uniseriate or biseriate, ellipsoid, ends rounded, (11-)12-21(-25) × (5-)7-9(-11) µm.
N: S: St: Throughout, on bark of Dacrydium cupressinum, Hoheria, Nothofagus menziesii, lowland to subalpine.
Australasian
A very common species and by far the most frequently collected red-fruited Lecidea. It is possible that this, and other related red-fruited species may be separated eventually into an independent genus. The genus Miltidea Stirton, is available, but needs accurate definition [see Stirton T.N.Z.I. 30: 382 (1898); Coppins and James Lichenologist 11: 151 (1979)].
