Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lichen griffithii Sm., Engl. Bot. 25: tab. 1735 (1807).

=Lecidea pauxilla Kremp., Verhandl. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien 26: 455 (1876).

=Lecidea subdacrydii Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 309 (1941).

=Lecidea spermogoniata Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 310 (1941).

≡Cliostomum spermogoniatum (Zahlbr.) Kantvilas & Elix, Biblthca Lichenol. 58: 204 (1995).

=Lecidea otagoana Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 310 (1941).

Lecidea pauxilla. Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], Charles Knight ex herb. Krempelhuber – M 100–81/10 [fide Coppins (1983: 199]. Isolectotype – M.

Lecidea subdacrydii. Lectotype: New Zealand. Otago, Flagstaff Hill, Dunedin, in forest remnant on Dacrydium cupressinum, J.S. Thomson T 2042 [A 83] – CHR 347065 [fide Galloway (1985a: 238). Isolectotypes – BM, OTA 029407.

Lecidea spermogoniata. Lectotype: New Zealand. Wellington, Halcombe near Palmerston North, on Podocarpus totara in forest; on old bark near base of trunk, H.H. Allan [ZA 3340] – CHR 346059 [fide Galloway (1985a: 237)]. Isolectotypes – BM, OTA.

Lecidea otagoana. Lectotype. New Zealand. Otago, forest at mouth of Tokomairiro River, on Dacrydium cupressinum, J.S. Thomson T 2306 [V 52] – CHR 347200 [fide Galloway (1985a: 237)]. Isolectotypes – BM, OTA.

Description : Flora (1985: 126). See also Kantvilas & Elix (1995: 204–205).

Chemistry : Atranorin, chloroatranorin and roccellic acid as major constituents; caperatic acid and unidentified fatty acids as minor constituents, ±usnic acid (tr.) in apothecia (Kantvilas & Elix 1995: 201).

N: Wellington (near Palmerston North). S: Otago (Flagstaff Dunedin, Toko Mouth). St: On dry bark and lignum of Dacrydium cupressinum and Podocarpus totara in deep shade from lowland forest. Known also from Europe, Scandinavia, Macaronesia, Japan, North America, Maxico, Brazil, Australia and Tasmania (Kalb 1991; Kantvilas & Elix 1995; Ekman 1997; Aptroot 2002e; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Foucard (1990: pl. 84); Dobson (1992: 124; 2000: 137, 138; 2005: 149); Kantvilas & Elix (1995: 205, fig. 2A–C; 206, fig. 3 – as Cliostomum spermogoniatum); Lumbsch et al. (2001a: 14); Brodo et al. (2001: 279, pl. 279)

Cliostomum griffithii is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the thin to thick continuous or areolate to granular, whitish to greyish crustose thallus; a green photobiont; small, pale pinkish, brownish to piebald to somewhat blackened lecideine apothecia, which are sometimes faintly white-pruinose; narrowly ellipsoidal, colourless ascospores, 1-(3)-septate; numerous pycnidia, at first unilocular becoming multilocular, black, widely gaping, with a K+ purplish pigment in the wall.