Lecidea Ach.

Lichens (1985) - Flora of New Zealand Lichens

LECIDEA Ach., 1803*

Thallus crustose, heteromerous, continuous, areolate or verrucose, or squamulose, ± immersed in substrate, or attached by hyphae of prothallus or medulla, lacking rhizines, decorticate or with a thin cortex, sometimes sorediate. Photobiont green, Trebouxia, Myrmecia, Chlorella, Coccobotrys, Pleurococcus, Chlorosarcina and possibly other green algal genera. Apothecia orbicular or angular-contorted through mutual pressure, rarely slightly elongate, immersed, sessile or very shortly stalked, proper margin colourless, coloured or blackened, of closely woven hyphae. Excipulum colourless or clear reddish or greyish, not blackened. Hypothecium colourless, or coloured, or ± black. Paraphyses dense, simple, not branched or netted, apices ± swollen-capitate, free or conglutinate. Asci clavate, 8-spored. Ascospores simple, colourless, oblong, oval, ellipsoid, straight or curved, with a thin wall. Pycnidia immersed. Conidia short, cylindrical to filiform, straight or curved.

Key

Corticolous, terricolous or muscicolous

Saxicolous (see page 635 for revised key)

Terricolous or muscicolous

Corticolous

Thallus brown, red-brown or brown-black, minutely granular or leprose, C-, apothecia dull brown, ± innate among granules, margins thin, soon excluded, spores 11-16 × 5-7 µm

uliginosa

Thallus green or grey-green or pale fawnish, unevenly verrucose-granular, C+ red (fading fast), apothecia numerous, sessile, orange-brown or pinkish, proper margin pale, persistent, spores 8-13 × 4-6 µm

granulosa

Apothecia red

Apothecia black, brown, red-brown, yellowish, pink or orange

Thallus well-developed

ceroplasta

Thallus ± lacking

laeta

Apothecia black or brown-black

Apothecia brown-pink or yellow

Lowland, on Cordyline

nigratula

Subalpine, on Dracophyllum

Thallus whitish, silky, spores 6.8-10.2 × 1.7-2.5 µm

subsericea

Thallus greyish-fawn to ochraceous, granular, spores 12-15.3 × 5.1-6.8 µm

dracophylli

Apothecia persistently immarginate

Apothecia marginate, at least when young

Apothecia pale to dark brown, thallus ± continuous, whitish-green

miscescens

Apothecia orange-pink, thallus minutely squamulose, pale grey

cerinocarpa

Margins concolorous with disc or darker

Margins paler than disc

Disc brown, not translucent when wet

fuscocincta

Disc red-brown, yellow-brown or pinkish-brown, translucent when wet

Margins concolorous with disc

Margins darker than disc

Apothecia brown-pink, margins not swollen, spores 10-12 × 5-7 µm

aucklandica

Apothecia red-brown, margins swollen, spores 15 × 9 µm

coccodes

Thallus persistent, areolate, creamish-white, apothecia red-brown

dacrydii

Thallus ± effuse, verrucose or papillate, grey-white or grey-green, apothecia yellow, or brown-pink

Thallus grey-green, granular-verrucose or papillate, ± diffract, apothecia pink to orange-brown, spores fusiform-ellipsoid, 8.3-12(-13) × 1.7-3.4 µm

spermogoniata

Thallus grey-white, wrinkled-verrucose or areolate, apothecia yellow or pink-brown, spores narrow-oblong, 11-13.6 × 3-3.5 µm

subdacrydii

Apothecia translucent when wet, spores 8.3-12 × 4.5 µm

canorufescens

Apothecia not translucent when wet, spores 11-17 × 6-8 µm

conisalea

On basic rocks (limestone)

On acid rocks

Thallus grey-white, apothecia grey-pruinose, hypothecium black

hybrida

Thallus olive-brown or ochraceous, apothecia black, epruinose, hypothecium colourless

imitatrix

Apothecia ± pruinose

Apothecia epruinose

Prothallus well defined, thick, black, marginal or intersecting thallus

Prothallus not well defined or lacking

Thallus glaucous-grey, spores 10-12 × 7-8.3 µm

confoederata

Thallus copper brown, spores 6-8.3 × 3-4 µm

fuscoatrula

Pruina ochre

blastenoides

Pruina grey-white or white

Alpine-subalpine

Lowland-coastal

Thallus black and white mottled

charadrodes

Thallus greyish, yellow or brown-white, suffused rust red

irrubens

Thallus cream-white, minutely areolate

gallinarum

Thallus glaucous-fawnish, areolae 1 mm diam

sticticarpa

Thallus yellow or yellow-white

coromandelica

Thallus grey, white, or olivaceous

Thallus effuse or lacking

Thallus persistent

Hypothecium brown-black

Hypothecium colourless or pale brownish

Apothecial margins persistent,

sterilis

Apothecial margins excluded at maturity

tararuensis

Spores 7-10.2 × 3.4-5.1 µm

sublapicida

Spores 8.5-13.6 × 3.4-5.2 µm

schistiseda

Thallus olive, brownish or fawnish

Thallus blue-grey, white or creamish

Hypothecium dense brown-black

Hypothecium pale yellowish or brownish

Thallus olive-brown, continuous, spores 11-12 × 6-7 µm

thomsonii

Thallus olivaceous, bullate-squamulose, spores 17-18.7 × 6.8-8.3 µm

psephota

On soil or clay, often lifting from substrate

subglobulata

On rock, firmly attached

Thallus areolate-cracked, spores 10.2-13.6 × 5.1-6.8 µm

allanii

Thallus ± bullate or inflated, squamulose-diffract, spores 8-10 × 4-5 µm

subtenebrosa

Thallus grey or blue-grey

Thallus creamish or greyish-white

Thallus of small, dispersed granules, apothecia less than 0.3 mm diam.

chalybeiza

Thallus ± continuous, apothecia larger than 0.3 mm diam.

Prothallus thick, black, visible between thalline areolae

vexillaris

Prothallus thin or absent

Apothecial disc ± etched, spores 9-14 × 5-6 µm

leptocarpa

Apothecial disc smooth, spores 9-11 × 7 µm

durietzii

Hypothecium brown-black, apothecia densely crowded, obscuring thallus

suprasedens

Hypothecium pale brown, olive or colourless, apothecia scattered

Prothallus prominent, thick, black, between white areolae

demersa

Prothallus thin, marginal or absent

Margins of apothecia persistent

Margins of apothecia excluded at maturity

Thallus whitish to pale brown, spores 8.3-12 × 5.2-6.8 µm

circumdiluens

Thallus grey-white suffused rust-red, spores 8.3-10.2 × 3-5.1 µm

dunedina

Thallus grey-white or creamish, margins subplacodioid, apothecial disc cracked, spores 10.2-12 × 6.8-8.3 µm

subcoarctata

Thallus chalky white, margins indeterminate, apothecial disc smooth, spores 8.5-10.2 × 3-5.1 µm

pahiensis

Lecidea is a large genus with over 800 described species of wide distribution. Squamulose species formerly included in Lecidea are segregated into several independent genera [Schneider Biblthca lich. 13: 1-291 (1980) "1979"; Swinscow and Krog Lichenologist 13: 203-247 (1981)] of which Hypocenomyce, Lepidoma, Phyllopsora, Psora and Trapeliopsis are known from New Zealand. In addition, differences in apothecial anatomy, especially in the structure of the excipulum, allow the segregation of additional genera from Lecidea sens. lat. , among which Fuscidea, Huilia, Lecidella and Tremolecia are known from New Zealand.

Over 100 taxa in Lecidea sens. lat. , are recorded from New Zealand from bark, rock and soil, but the group has never been the subject of a critical study apart from Zahlbruckner's [ Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 294-312 (1941)] account of the collections of H.H. Allan and J.S. Thomson. The treatment of 46 taxa which follows is at best tentative since it is based only on a perusal of type collections and not on extensive collections from a variety of habitats. Species of Lecidea are well represented in New Zealand from sea level to the highest exposed rocks at over 3000 m. Undoubtedly many species in Fuscidea, Huilia and Lecidella will be found but until adequate collections are made from all habitats throughout the country, the present account places all known taxa in Lecidea.

Useful accounts of Lecidea are found in Vainio [ Acta Soc. Faun. Fl. fenn. 57 (2): 1-531 (1934)], and Hertel [ Herzogia 1: 25-39 (1968); Herzogia 1: 321-329 (1969); Herzogia 2: 37-62 (1970); Herzogia 2: 231-261 (1971); Herzogia 2: 479-515 (1973); Herzogia 3: 365-406 (1975); Ergebn. Forsch. Unternehmens Nepal Himal. 6 (3): 145-378 (1977)]

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* See addenda p. 633.

Lecidea Ach.

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