Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Otago, Maungatua, SW of Dunedin, rock c. 2 km N of summit, 850 m, 31i.1985, H.Mayrhofer 4720, H. Hertel & A. Mark – GZU. Isotypes – CHR 541121; LD.

Description : Thallus dwarf-fruticose, caespitose, to 2 cm diam., and 1 cm tall, sometimes forming extensive spreading colonies to 10–20 cm diam., cushion surface verruculose, of densely packed, erect, lobe tips, separated by deep cracks and appearing areolate. Lobes unevenly thickened, 0.3–0.6 mm thick, finally carrying apothecia; yellow, tinged orange but never completely orange; epruinose, pseudocypheollate. Pseudocyphellae few, pale, whitish, effigurate, inconspicuous. Apothecia terminal, sparse to crowded, zeorine, 0.5–1.5 mm diam., round to irregular, sometimes flexuose; disc concave to plane, medium-orange, epruinose. Proper margin 75–100 μm thick, slightly raised above disc, concolorous with or slightly paler than disc. Thalline margin 100–200 μm thick, prominent, even to uneven. Hymenium 65–75 μm tall, colourless. Hypothecium c. 7 μm thick, hyaline. Paraphyses simple to occasionally sparingly branched, weakly anastomosing, 2 μm thick, apices capitate, 3–6 μm diam., with oil droplets. Ascospores polaribilocular, ellipsoidal, 12–15 × 5–7 μm; septum 2.5–5 μm thick. Conidia broadly ellipsoidal, 3–3.5 × 1.5–1.8 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus and apothecia K+ red, C−, Pd−, I−; containing parietin, teloschistin and fallacinal (major) with emodin and parietinic acid (minor).

S: Otago (Dunstan Mts, Old Man Ra., Mt Benger, Umbrella Ra., Rough Ridge, Serpentine, Poolburn, Manorburn, Lammerlaw Mts, Teviot River, Roaring Lion Creek, Garvie Mts, Rock and Pillar Ra., Maungatua). On bird-perch rocks, in subalpine to high-alpine grassland. Associating with: Caloplaca xantholyta, Candelariella coralliza, Cystocoleus ebeneus, * Dactylospora australis (on Lecidea lygomma), Diploschistes scruposus, D. sticticus, Lecanora farinacea, L. polytropa, L. rupicola, Lecidea diducens, L. lapicida, L. lygomma, Lecidella schistiseda, Paraporpidia leptocarpa, Pertusaria otagoana, Physcia dubia, Porina chlorotica, Ramboldia petraeoides, Rhizocarpon grande, R. thomsonii, Rimularia psephota, Rinodina murrayii, R. thiomela, Xanthoria candelaria and X. elegans.

Endemic

Illustrations : Arup & Mayrhofer (2000: 361, fig. 1A–C).

Caloplaca erecta is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; its cushion-like, dwarf-fruticose thallus; the sparse, scattered laminal pseudocyphellae; ascospores 12–15 × 5–7 μm, septum 2.5–5 μm; and broadly ellipsoidal conidia, 3–3.5 × 1.5– 1.8 μm.