Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : Ochrolechia tartarea (L.) A.Massal. [=Lichen tartareus L.]

Description : Flora (1985: 321).

Ochrolechia is a widespread genus of c. 40 species (Kirk et al. 2001; Roemer et al. 2004) included in the family Pertusariaceae (Schmitt 2002; Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005). Species are characterised by: a crustose thallus, hemiangiocarpous apothecia, a strongly amyloid (I+ blue) hymenium, a hyaline hypothecium, and simple, colourless, thin-walled ascospores. Secondary chemistry in the genus includes orcinol depsides, orcinol depsidones, β-orcinol depsides, fatty acids and lichexanthone (Messuti & Lumbsch 2000). Useful information on the genus is found in a variety of references (Verseghy 1962; Poelt 1966; Howard 1970; Hanko 1983; Hanko et al. 1986; Awasthi & Tewari 1987; Brodo 1988, 1991; Awasthi 1991; Tønsberg 1992b; Schmitz et al. 1994; Boqueras et al. 1999; Messuti & Lumbsch 2000; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001; Lumbsch et al. 2003b; Messuti & Vobis 2003). Recent molecular work shows Ochrolechia to be monophyletic, forming a well-supported unit in all analyses (Schmitt 2002). Chemically Ochrolechia is defined by the presence of gyrophoric acid. The recognition of subgeneric groupings within Ochrolechia (Verseghy 1962; Hanko et al. 1986; Brodo 1991) is not confirmed by recent molecular work (Schmitt 2002). Five species are recorded from New Zealand, but the genus is still very poorly collected and understood here and much in need of careful revision.