Flora of New Zealand Series

=Pertusaria cretacea Müll.Arg., Flora 67: 286 (1884).

Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], 1.3.76, Charles Knight – WELT Herb. Knight. Vol. 33, p. 5 [fide Galloway (1985a: 376)].

Pertusaria cretacea. Holotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], 1883, Dr Knight – G 638/1.

Descriptions : Flora (1985: 371, 376).

Chemistry : TLC−, all reactions negative.

N: Wellington. S: Otago (Lake Wanaka, Damper Bay; Kakanui; Pulpit Rock, Silver Peaks). On coastal and subalpine rocks, s.l. to 300 m. Also in Tasmania (Flora of Australia 54 (1992); Archer 1997).

Endemic

Illustrations : Knight (1883: pl. XXXVIII, fig. 27); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 82, 103 – as P. cretacea).

Pertusaria leucodes is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; abundantly fertile thalli with numerous verrucae; the verrucae with black ostioles; asci with 8, biseriate ascospores; and ascospores 50–70 μm long (Archer & Elix 1994a: 211). These characters distinguish it from P. albissima. Archer & Elix (1994a: 211) point out that Galloway (1985a: 376) mistakenly reports stictic acid from the WELT lectotype, and a re-examination of the material shows it to be TLC− .