Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Verrucaria papularis Fr., Lich. Eur. Ref.: 434 (1831).

Description : Thallus endolithic, pale to medium-grey, to subepilithic and medium-grey to dark, grey-brown, continuous to finely cracked or areolate. Prothallus not apparent or visible as a brown-black line between adjacent thalli. Perithecia semi-immersed to superficial, 0.3–0.75 mm diam., ostiole broadly depressed. Involucrellum black, dimidiate or extending to base of exciple, usually not contiguous with exciple, 80–120 μm thick. Exciple 18–25 μm thick, pale to medium grey-brown. Centrum 0.2–0.4 mm wide. Periphyses 40–70 μm long. Asci broadly clavate, 85–105 × 30–40 μm. Ascospores 3(–4)-septate, occasionally with 1 or 2 longitudinal septa, ellipsoidal to elongate-ellipsoidal, 30–60 × 14–22 μm.

S: Nelson (Mt Arthur, Hundred Acre Plateau), Otago (Ngapara). On low-grade marble dykes and calcareous mudstone, and on soft weathered limestone. First collected in New Zealand by James Murray in March 1961 (McCarthy 1992b: 4). Known also from Great Britain, Scandinavia, Europe, Russia, North Africa, North America, eastern Australia and Tasmania (Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Scholz 2000; Llimona & Hladun 2001; McCarthy 2001h: 175, 2003c; Coppins 2002b; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004; Elvebakk & Bjerke 2006).

?Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Zschacke (1934: 403, fig. 209); Ozenda & Clauzade (1970: 162, fig. 112); Foucard (1990: pl. 320); Dobson (1992: 330; 2000: 377; 2005: 425).

Thelidium papulare is characterised by: its prominent, numerous, black perithecia with sunken apices, and rather large, mostly 3-septate ascospores (McCarthy 2001h: 175).