Flora of New Zealand Series

Description : Thallus thin, pale grey-brown to rust-coloured, areolate, areolae, 0.1–0.5 mm diam. Apothecia sessile, black, plane, 0.5–1 mm diam., with a thin, proper margin concolorous with disc. Hymenium colourless, I+ blue, 60–90 μm tall; epithecium greenish brown. Hypothecium brown-black, narrow. Asci clavate. Ascospores ellipsoidal to oblong–ellipsoidal (10–)12–16(–18) × 4.5–6.5 (–7) μm.

Chemistry : unidentified compound in TLC.

S: Canterbury (Foggy Peak, Torlesse Ra.), Otago (Rock & Pillar summit). On high-alpine rocks. Known also from South Shetland Is, South Orkney Is, and the Antarctic Peninsula (Hertel 1984b, 1985b, 1987b, 1989b; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001).

Austral

Exsiccati : Hertel (1992a: No. 248; 1992b: No. 272).

Lecidea spheniscidarum is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the pale greyish to rusty thallus; scattered, black apothecia; a colourless hymenium, 60–90 μm tall; a narrow, brown-black hypothecium; and ellipsoidal to oblong–ellipsoidal ascospores, (10–)12–16(–18) × 4.5–6.5(–7) μm. As indicated above, this species is not correctly accommodated in Lecidea s. str.