Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : * Lichenopeltella maculans (Zopf) Höhn. [= * Microthyrium maculans Zopf]

Description : Lichenicolous or saprophytic. Ascomata catathecia, superficial to erumpent, in lichenicolous taxa developed on host thallus rarely on ascomata; rounded to angular, scattered to crowded; ostiolar setae present or absent, convergent or divergent; upper wall layer of catathecia of dark-brown quadrangular or rectangular cells in radiating rows, pigment partly granular; ostiolar pore central often raised; ostiolar collar of a few rings of thick-walled cells, cells below ostiolar collar with paler and thinner walls; basal layer of catathecia similar in construction to upper layer; margins of catathecia entire, lobed or shortly extending to form a fringe. Hamathecium in L. maculans of numerous septate hyphae (at least in young catathecia); in other taxa sterile hyphae occasionally present; usually absent in mature catathecia. Asci I−, fissitunicate, cylindrical, ovoid to obclavate, shortly stipitate to unstalked; endoascus thickened above; ocular chamber absent; with 8 or fewer ascospores. Ascospores hyaline, ellipsoidal to obovoid with rounded ends, 1-septate, smooth, without a gelatinous sheath, setulose or not. Conidiomata not seen.

Lichenopeltella, a genus of c. 35 species of catathecioid lichenicolous fungi (Cole & Hawksworth 2002; Etayo 2002; Ertz 2004c), is included in the family Microthyriaceae in the order Dothideales (Matzer 1996; Lawrey & Diederich 2003; Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005). The taxonomic history of the genus is discussed by Matzer (1996: 134–136). Indian species are treated by Hariharan et al. (1996). A key to known species, discussions on the genus and descriptions of many new species are presented by Diederich (Aptroot et al. 1997: 83–99), and Cole & Hawksworth (2002: 396) list the literature pertinent to the genus. One species is known from New Zealand, where it occurs on thalli of certain foliicolous lichens, but the genus is still very imperfectly known and poorly collected here.