Lecanora Ach.

Lichens A-Pac (2007) - Flora of New Zealand Lichens - Revised Second Edition A-Pac

LECANORA Ach. in Luyken, 1809

Type : Lecanora subfusca (L.) Ach. [=L. allophana (Ach.) Ach. – see Brodo & Vitikainen (1984); Vitikainen & Brodo (1985); Jørgensen et al. 1994a: 357–358]

Description : Flora (1985: 209–210).

Key

Thallus muscicolous, terricolous or on plant debris

Thallus saxicolous or corticolous

On dead tussock bases

On mosses and soil in rock clefts

lugubris

Stictic/norstictic acids present

epibryon ssp. broccha

Stictic/norstictic acids absent

epibryon ssp. xanthophora

Saxicolous

Corticolous/lignicolous

On basic substrata (limestone, calcareous sandstone, mortar, concrete etc.)

On acid substrata

Thallus granular or inconspicuous

Thallus persistent, conspicuous or swollen, white areolae, margins plicate–lobate

Apothecia pinkish brown to red-brown; epithecium pale- to dark-brown

Apothecia black; epithecium blue-green

aghardiana

Margins of apothecia entire or irregularly crenulate; apothecial discs not, or only lightly pruinose

flotoviana

Margins of apothecia regularly deeply crenulate; apothecial discs densely white to pale-grey-pruinose

crenulata

Apothecia sessile, 1–2 mm diam.; thalline margins thin; paraphyses to 5 μm diam. at apex; ascospores 8.5–10 × 3.5–5 μm; TLC−

fertilissima

Apothecia immersed at first then sessile, 0.1–1 mm diam.; thalline margins thick; paraphyses to 3 μm diam. at apex; ascospores 8–11(–15) × 4–7 μm; 2,7-dichlorolichexanthone present

albescens

Thallus pale green-yellow or yellowish (usnic acid present)

Thallus not pale green-yellow (usnic acid absent)

Thallus well-developed, areolate cracked, not obscured by apothecia

Thallus poorly developed, frequently obscured by yellow apothecia

polytropa

Apothecia immersed, 0.1–0.15 mm diam.; disc pale red-brown; ascospores 8.5–10 × 4–5.5 μm [Campbell I.]

physcielloides

Apothecia immersed to sessile, 0.2–1.5 mm diam.; disc greenish brown to blackish brown; ascospores 10–15 × 4.5–7 μm [alpine rocks South I.]

intricata

Thallus without soredia

Thallus sorediate C+ red [alpine underhangs]

cavicola

Thallus present, conspicuous

Thallus granular or inconspicuous or absent

umbrina

Apothecial discs pruinose

Apothecial discs epruinose

Disc C+ yellow or yellow-orange (sordidone present)

Disc C− (sordidone absent)

Thallus C− (sordidone absent)

Thallus C+ yellow (sordidone present)

swartzii

Thallus brilliant white, tartareous, without a delimiting prothallus; discs blue-black, thickly white-pruinose (often difficult to distinguish from rest of thallus); on vertical high-alpine rocks and underhangs

bicincta

Thallus white to grey or pale-fawn, often intersected by dark lines of prothallus, forming mosaics; discs pale-brown, grey-white-pruinose; on sunny, exposed rocks; often parasitised by * Rimularia insularis

rupicola

Thallus continuous or areolate. not verrucose; C−

Thallus of dispersed verrucae; C+ orange

elixii

Thallus creamish, yellow-white or yellow-grey; K+ yellow (atranorin present); on coastal rocks

Thallus white or grey-white (often forming extensive, paint-like patches); K+ yellow→red (salazinic acid present) on inland and alpine rocks

farinacea

Apothecia dark-brown to black; thallus KC+ orange

Apothecia pale buff-pink to red-brown; thallus KC−

cenisioides

Apothecia dark-brown to black, grey-pruinose; atranorin, arthothelin and thiophanic acid present

subcoarctata

Apothecia coal-black to green-black, pruina very thin or absent; atranorin, isoarthothelin, aotearone, capistratone, zeorin and thiophanic acid present

austrooceanica

Apothecia immersed (aspicilioid)

Apothecia sessile

Thallus thick, white, tartareous; C−

Thallus pale greyish or creamish to yellow-grey; C+ orange; apothecia black, 1–1.2 mm diam.; ascospores 10–16 × 5.5–7.5 μm; atranorin, capistratone and thiophanic acid present

capistrata

Prothallus prominent, thick, black; apothecia 0.5–1.2 mm diam.; conidia filiform, curved, 25–35 × 0.8–1 μm [alpine to high-alpine rocks, South I.]

demersa

Prothallus absent; apothecia 0.2–0.4 mm diam.; conidia cylindrical, 8–15 × 0.8–1 μm [subalpine rocks, Stewart I.]

oreinoides

Apothecia red-brown or yellowish to greenish orange

Apothecia dark-brown to brown-black; epithecium without crystals, glabrata -type; ascospores 9–15.5 × 5.5–9.5; atranorin and zeorin present [on northern, coastal rocks]

melacarpella

Epithecium with many small crystals

Epithecium without crystals (glabrata -type)

Epithecium with many small crystals (pulicaris -type); atranorin and chloroatranorin present

galactiniza

Epithecium with numerous crystals (chlarotera -type); 2'- O -methylperlatolic acid chemosyndrome present

plumosa

Thallus white, tartareous; ascospores 8.5–13.5 × 5–7.5 μm; atranorin and the 2'- O -methylperlatolic acid chemosyndrome present

pseudistera

Thallus yellow-grey to greenish or green-grey; ascospores 10.5–14.5 × 5.5–7.5 μm; atranorin and zeorin present

subimmergens

Lignicolous

Corticolous

Apothecia brown or red-brown; usnic acid absent

Apothecia yellow; usnic acid present

Thallus yellow-white to yellow-grey, persistent; apothecia dark red-brown to black; atranorin, chloroatranorin and unidentified triterpenoids present

xylophila

Thallus granular or absent; apothecia brown, often white-pruinose; no secondary compounds present

umbrina

Thallus not apparent; apothecia densely clustered, pale-yellow, not waxy; ascospores 9–14 × 5–6 μm; usnic and rangiformic acids and zeorin present; on somewhat mineralised substrata (painted wood, tanalised timber)

polytropa

Thallus subgranular, effuse; apothecia pale-yellow to pale- or dark-brown, waxy; ascospores 11–2.5 × 7–12 μm; usnic acid and zeorin present

symmicta

Soredia present

Soredia absent

Thallus yellowish, yellow-green or yellow-white (usnic acid present)

Thallus and soralia coarsely granular, olive-green to grey-green

conizaeoides

Apothecial discs red-brown or orange-brown

Apothecial discs yellow, waxy

Thallus rapidly dissolving into soredia; arthothelin and pannarin present

elatinoides

Thallus verruculose; soredia occasional; atranorin and pannarin present

novaehollandiae

Thallus effuse, granular–scurfy, abundantly sorediate; C+ orange (thiophanic acid present)

expallens

Thallus continuous to verrucose, occasionally sorediate; C− (atranorin and 2'- O -methylperlatolic acid chemosyndrome present)

helva

Apothecial discs pruinose

Apothecials discs epruinose

Apothecial discs pale pinkish, reddish brown or purplish, thickly white- or grey- pruinose

Apothecial discs bright red-brown, grey-brown, pale-orange or brown-pink, thinly grey-pruinose

Apothecia 0.5–1 mm diam., discs C+ yellow (sordidone present)

carpinea

Apothecia 0.8–3 mm diam., discs C− (sordidone absent)

caesiorubella

Apothecia sessile; thalline margin prominent; thallus C−

Apothecia almost biatorine, pale-orange to brown-pink, with or without a thin, grey-white pruina; ascospores broadly ellipsoidal, 14–19 × 9–12 μm; thallus C+ orange (arthothelin and thiophanic acid present)

flavopallida

Thalline margins Pd−

Thalline margins white-pruinose (Pd+ deep orange-yellow); apothecial discs pale-brown to reddish brown, with a thin white pruina; ascospores ellipsoidal to broadly ellipsoidal, 10.5–15 × 5–9 μm; atranorin and psoromic acid present

intumescens

Apothecial discs bright red-brown to grey-brown, with a bluish to grey pruina; ascospores ellipsoidal, 11–15 × 5–7; chloroatranorin and zeorin present

flavidomarginata

Apothecial discs pinkish brown to olivaceous-brown, to pale yellow-grey or green-grey, epruinose, or with a whitish pruina when young; ascospores (7–)8.5–14 × (3–)4–7 μm; 2,7-dichlorolichexanthone present

dispersa

Thallus yellow-white, yellow-grey to green-grey; usnic acid present

Thallus grey-white; greenish white or greyish; usnic acid absent

Thallus lacking psoromic acid

Thallus C−, K+ brilliant-yellow (psoromic acid present); apothecia sessile, orange-brown to pale red-brown; ascospores ellipsoidal to broadly ellipsoidal, 9.5–12.5 × 5.5–7.5 μm

queenslandica

Epithecium of pulicaris -type

Epithecium of chlarotera -type; apothecial discs orange-brown, epruinose to slightly grey-pruinose; ascospores ellipsoidal to broadly ellipsoidal, 10.5–16.5 × 6.5–8.5 μm

achroa

Apothecial discs dark orange-brown to red-brown; zeorin absent; ascospores broadly ellipsoidal, 10.5–14.5 × 7.5–10 μm

interjecta

Apothecial discs red-brown to dark-brown; zeorin present; ascospores ellipsoidal, 11.5–17.5 × 5.5–8.5 μm

flavidofusca

Apothecial discs brown to orange-brown; epithicum with crystals (chlarotera -type); ascospores narrowly ellipsoidal, 14.5–20.5 × 4.5–6.5 μm; chloroatranorin, arthothelin (C+ orange) and zeorin present

subumbrina

Apothecial discs reddish or dark red-brown to bright red-brown; epithecium without crystals (glabrata -type); ascospores ellipsoidal, 10.5–15.5 × 5.5–8.5 μm; atranorin and gangaleoidin present (C−)

argentata

Lecanora is a large cosmopolitan genus of some 600 species (Lumbsch & Elix 2004; Ryan et al. 2004b) included in the family Lecanoraceae (Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005). In recent years a number of more closely defined genera were segregated from Lecanora, sensu Zahlbruckner (1926) and in the New Zealand lichen mycobiota, several taxa earlier referred to Lecanora (Galloway 1985a), are now included in other genera (viz., Lobothallia radiosa, Loxospora cyamidia, Protoparmelia badia, Tephromela atra). Lecanora s. str., is presently thought to be characterised by: a crustose thallus; a trebouxioid photobiont; red-brown to orange or pinkish apothecial discs, which may or may not be white-pruinose; large and/or small crystals in the amphithecium; colourless ascospores; asci Lecanora -type (Malcolm & Galloway 1997: 186); filiform conidia; and atranorin in the cortex (Hafellner 1984; Lumbsch 1994; Guderley et al. 1998, 2000; Printzen 2001; Lumbsch & Elix 2004), although it is recognised that this circumscription is still too wide, and that it undoubtedly represents several taxonomic groupings (see Printzen 2001: 382, for a discussion of the problem). Arup & Grube (1998) attempted to resolve relationships within Lecanora by molecular methods looking specifically at the molecular systematics of lobate taxa (Lecanorasubgen.Placodium). They found that the L. subfusca group (the central group of the genus and containing its type) and the L. rupicola group are sister group to assemblages with lobate species, and that the L. dispersa and L. polytropa groups should include lobate species. Several informal species groups within the genus are currently accepted as a practical arrangement but are not yet supported unambiguously by molecular data (see also Brodo & Elix 1993). Such species groups represented in the New Zealand lichen mycobiota are:

(1) L. subfusca group (corticolous, terricolous; red-brown discs, Ca oxalate crystals in margins; K+ yellow, containing atranorin): L. achroa, L. argentata, L. austrooceanica, L. cenisioides, L. elatinoides, L. elixii, L. epipryon ssp. broccha, L. epibryon ssp. xanthophora, L. flavidofusca, L. flavidomarginata, L. flavopallida, L. galactiniza, L. helva, L. interjecta, L. intumescens, L. lugubris. L. melacarpella, L. novaehollandiae, L. pseudistera, L. queenslandica, L. subimmergens, L. subumbrina, L. xylophila (Brodo 1984a; Lumbsch 1994; Lumbsch et al. 1994a, 1994b, 1996, 2003a; Guderley et al. 1998; Ibáñez & Burgaz 1998; Upreti 1998a; Guderley 1999);

(2) L. pallida -group (pruinose discs; bark substrata): L. caesiorubella, L. carpinea, L. intumescens (Magnusson 1932; Imshaug & Brodo 1966; Lumbsch et al. 1997b);

(3) L. dispersa -group (endolithic or epilithic white thallus, apothecia with a mostly white or pale-coloured margin; secondary chemistry with xanthones but without atranorin; growth on calcareous substrata, rocks and bark) L. albescens, L. crenulata, L. dispersa, L. fertilissima, L. flotoviana, L. pulvinaris, L. umbrina (Fröberg 1989, 1997; Poelt et al.1995; Laundon 2003);

(4) L. subcarnea group (heavily pruinose discs, without chromones; rock substrata): L. farinacea (Dickhäuser et al. 1995);

(5) L. rupicola -group (pruinose discs, sordidone (C+ yellow, KC+ orange); rock substrata; high-alpine [Hafellner 1984: 291 makes L. rupicola type species of the genus Glaucomaria M. Choisy] L. bicincta, L. rupicola, L. swartzii (Leuckert & Poelt 1989; Grube & Blaha 2003; see Grube et al. 2004a, for further discussion);

(6) L. varia -group (thallus yellow-green; usnic acid but not atranorin): L. conizaeoides, L, expallens, L. symmicta (Brodo & Elix 1993; Śliwa & Wetmore 2000). This grouping is not supported by results of Arup & Grube (1998). See also Printzen (2001: 387);

(7) L. polytropa -group (a reduced thallus; biatorine apothecia, with photobiont only at base of exciple; and containing usnic acid) L. polytropa (Printzen 2001: 401);

(8) Taxa quite isolated from the rest: L. cavicola, L. oreinoides L. demersa.

The treatment of 73 Australian species (Lumbsch & Elix 2004) contains a great deal of useful information. A recent detailed account of the 122 species known from the Sonoran Desert region of North America (Ryan et al. 2004b), is the most detailed and authoritative discussion of the genus, and contains much information relevant to New Zealand populations. The present treatment discusses 47 taxa.

Lecanora Ach.

Key

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