Pseudocyphellaria rubella (Hook.f. & Taylor) D.J.Galloway & P.James
Sticta rubella J.D. Hook. et Taylor, Hook. Lond. J. Bot. 3: 649 (1844).
Thallus orbicular, ± rosette-shaped to spreading or straggling, 5-8(-12) cm diam., ± centrally attached, margins often free. Lobes linear, somewhat elongate, margins irregularly incised, ± ragged, granular-sorediate, not phyllidiate or isidiate. Upper surface bright lettuce-green when wet, greyish-green to buff-pink when dry becoming suffused reddish on storage, ± scabrid at margins, smooth, undulate to ± faveolate-impressed centrally, ± silky white-tomentose, ± sorediate. Soredia marginal in linear to sublinear soralia, or laminal in scattered, punctiform to confluent soralia, granular, yellow. Medulla yellow. Photobiont green. Lower surface pale yellow, ± evenly white, silky tomentose to margins. Pseudocyphellae yellow, prominent, numerous, flat, to 1.5 mm diam. Apothecia rather rare, pedicellate, disc dark brown or red-brown, concave to plane, somewhat undulate, matt, epruinose, margins eroded, granular-sorediate, exciple corrugate-scabrid, concolorous with thallus, ridges often yellow-sorediate. Ascospores brown, oblong-ellipsoid to obtusely fusiform, 3-septate, 28-30 × 10-13 µm. Chemistry: Pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone, calycin, and a complex mixture (c. 12) of lupane triterpenoids (Dr A.L. Wilkins pers. comm.).
N: Three Kings Is to Wellington. S: Throughout, St: Most common in Nothofagus forest, especially at forest margins, but also common on successional vegetation, especially Leptospermum.
Australasian
Distinguished by the green photobiont, yellow medulla, tomentose upper surface with marginal and laminal soralia. The South American species P. auratiformis is similar but has a blue-green photobiont, and a maculate upper surface.
