Hypocenomyce australis
Description : Thallus squamulose, in closely attached, irregularly spreading patches on burned wood, 1–3 cm diam. Squamules adnate, 0.2–0.8 (–1) mm diam., crowded to somewhat scattered, not proliferating, plane to subconvex or hummocky. Margins entire to crenulate, not upturned. Upper surface olivaceous to yellow-brown, matt to subnitid. Lower cortex absent. Apothecia abundant, round to irregular, 0.5–1.5 mm diam., attached marginally to squamules or apparently directly to substratum and appearing slightly sunk in convex squamules, plane, distinctly marginate; disc coal-black, matt, rarely thinly white-pruinose near margins; margins flexuose, concolorous with disc or paler. Hypothecium pale-brown to dark red-brown. Hymenium 40–50 μm tall; epithecium dirty green. Mature asci and ascospores not seen. Pycnidia to 0.1 mm diam., on margins of squamules or attached directly to substratum. Conidia filiform, curved, 11–15 × 1 μm.
Chemistry : Thallus K−, C+ red, KC+ red, Pd−; containing lecanoric (major) and ursolic acids.
N: Wellington (Pokaka N of Horopito). S: Nelson (Lake Rotoroa), Otago (Catlins Jack's Blowhole). On burned wood and stumps in pasture. Known also from E Australia (Timdal 1984a: 96; McCarthy 2003c, 2006), and recently recorded from Tierra del Fuego (Messuti et al. 2003b).
Austral
Illustrations : Timdal (1984a: 89, fig. 4A; 95, fig. 9).
Hypocenomyce australis is characterised by: the lignicolous habit (burned wood); the yellowish or yellow-brown, adnate squamules without soredia; the prominent, flat, black apothecia with flexuose margins; and filiform conidia.
