Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecidea oligotropha J.R. Laundon, Lichenologist 1 (4): 164 (1960).

Description : Thallus granular, granules globular or verrucose, 0.1–0.3 mm diam., tawny-brown when dry, yellowish when moist. Apothecia 0.25–0.5 mm diam., disc plane to convex, brown to brown-black, with a concolorous margin at first soon becoming excluded. Hymenium 55–60 μm tall, colourless to pale reddish brown; epithecium granular, red-brown, 10–15 μm thick. Paraphyses to 2 μm diam., flexuous and somewhat entangled, apices irregularly swollen, 4–7 μm. Asci clavate, 50–55 × 10–13 μm. Ascospores ellipsoidal, thin-walled, (9–)10–13(–18) × (4–)5–7(–9) μm.

Chemistry : TLC−, all reactions negative.

N: Wellington (Tararua Ra. near Powell Hut). On subalpine soil and mosses. First collected in New Zealand by Dr Leif Tibell in February 1993. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia and North America (Foucard 1990; Purvis et al. 1992; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Diederich & Sérusiaux 2000; Scholz 2000; Hafellner & Türk 2001; Llimona & Hladun 2001; Coppins 2002b; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004; Ryan et al. 2004a: 421–422).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Coppins & James (1984: 242, fig. 1A, B, D); Foucard (1990: pl. 252).

Placynthiella oligotropha is characterised by: the muscicolous/terricolous habit; the thallus of tawny-brown, globular or verrucose granules, granules 100–300 μm diam., not gelatinous when moist; brown to brown-black apothecial discs; and ellipsoidal ascospores, 9–18 × 4–9 μm.