Stirtoniella kelica
≡Lecidea kelica Stirt., Rep. Trans. Glasgow Soc. Field Nat. 1: 18 (1873).
≡Catillaria kelica (Stirt.) Zahlbr., Cat. lich. univ4 (1): 49 (1926).
=Lecidea stillata Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel. 86 (1888).
≡Patellaria stillata (Nyl.) Müll.Arg., Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 31 (2): 33 (1892).
≡Biatorina stillata (Nyl.) Hellb., Bihang K. Sv. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 21(3/13): 108 (1896).
Lectotype: New Zealand. Near Wellington, [Kaka Hill, viii.1873] J. Buchanan 178 – BM [fide Galloway (1985a: 76)]. Isolectotype – WELT L1980.
Lecidea stillata. Holotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], 1867, Dr Knight 124 – H-NYL 18199. Isotype – H-NYL 19066 [part of Knight 124 and sent to Nylander in 1881].
Description : Thallus spreading in irregular patches (1–)2–5(–8) cm diam., sometimes delimited by a thin to thick, black, sinuous, prothalline line. Upper surface pale greenish grey to grey-white, thick, continuous to minutely areolate, areolae angular, 0.1–1 mm diam., separated by very narrow cracks, smooth or minutely verrucose-papillate, matt or shining. Apothecia sessile, (0.1–) 0.5–2(–3) mm diam., round to irregular, solitary to clustered to somewhat conglomerate, large apothecia frequently fragmenting into smaller, contiguous parts, shallowly convex to ±flattened; disc smooth to irregularly wrinkled or pitted, mustard-yellow to ochre-yellow (becoming darker to somewhat reddish in K), convex, exciple becoming excluded from an early stage of development and therefore normally invisible. Exciple of textura intricata in longitudinal section, excipular hyphae reticulate but with a tendency to radiate orientation, with narrow lumina, pigment crystals covering and penetrating deeply between the hyphae, intercellular space otherwise filled with gelatinous matrix. Hypothecium hyaline or pale-brownish, 20–30 μm thick, of intricate, thick-walled, short-celled hyphae, in the uppermost part at the edge to the subhymenium with a layer of ±irregularly globose pigment crystals with slightly different colour than those of the epihymenium, interpenetrated by strands or clumps of microscopic, green algae. Hymenium hyaline, 60–80(–100) μm tall, covered by a layer (12.5–22 μm thick) of mainly bacillar pigment crystals, without inspersion of oil droplets, but with pigment crystals penetrating here and there down to the subhymenium. Interascal filaments relatively few in ascomata with a sporulating hymenium, with many ramifications and anastomoses. Asci Bacidia -type (i.e. with euamyloid tholus having a conical non-amyloid axial body), 8-spored. Ascospores hyaline, narrowly ellipsoidal, straight or slightly curved, 1-septate, without distinct perispore in LM, septum simple without any peculiar features, 15–18–22 × 4– 5.5 µm. Pycnidia widely scattered, immersed in minute, black warts. Conidia bacillar.
Chemistry : Thallus K−, C−, KC−, Pd−; apothecia K+ reddish to purple-red, C−, KC−; containing protocetraric acid (major) and subvirensic acid (tr.); apothecia K+ reddish or purplish red, C− KC−, Pd− or + orange; containing calycin (major or minor), pulvinic dilactone (major) and protocetraric acid (minor).
N: Northland (Radar Bush, Herekino Gorge, Waipoua Forest, Tutamoe, Bay of Islands, Little Barrier I., Great Barrier I.), Auckland (Waitakere Ra., Chelsea), South Auckland (Moehau, Maugatawhiri, Coromandel Peninsula, Kaimai Ra.), Wellington (Kapiti I, Kaitoke, Tararua Ra.). S: Nelson (Opara River, Karamea, Kaituna Gorge), Marlborough (d'Urville I., Queen Charlotte Sound). On trees and shrubs in mixed broadleaf forest, 140–774 m. Known also from Tasmania (Kantvilas & James 1991; Galloway et al. 2005).
Australasian
Illustrations : Babington (1855: pl. CXXIXA – as Parmelia pyropthalma [sic] Mont.); Lindsay (1866b: pl. LXIII, fig. 32 – as Lecidea pyrophthalma Mont.); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 112 – as Catillaria kelica); Lumbsch et al. (2001: 14 – as Catillaria kelica); Galloway et al. (2005: 276, fig. 1).
Stirtoniella kelica is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the pale-greenish, spreading, crustose thallus; prominent, bright mustard-yellow to ochre-yellow, biatorine apothecia turning red-purple in K (containing pulvinic acid derivatives); Bacidia -type asci; and 1-septate ascospores without a distinct perispore, 15–22 × 4–5.5 μm.
