Flora of New Zealand Series

≡*Phragmonaevia fuckelii Rehm, Rabenh. Krypt.-Fl. 1(3): 166 (1888).

Description : Apothecia scattered, not in discrete necrotic patches, arising singly but sometimes becoming confluent, not concentrically arranged, fawn to pale-brown at first, at length dark-brown to black, immersed, irregular in shape, at first elongate or branched, bursting through cortex, jagged fragments of which remain at the margins of young apothecia, slit-like and concave at first, at length ±circular and subconvex with the remnants of host cortical tissues ±excluded, 0.2–0.3(–0.5) mm diam. Exciple poorly developed, colourless to pale-brown, 10–18 μm thick at uppermost part, of irregularly subglobose to ±elongated pseudoparenchymatous cells, 2.5–5 μm diam. Hypothecium similar in structure to exciple, 6–10 μm thick, of 2–3 layers of cells, poorly differentiated or sometimes absent, colourless. Hymenium 50–60 μm tall, colourless, I−. Epithecium colourless to pale-brown scarcely differentiated, composed of paraphysis tips. Paraphyses filiform, simple or sparsely branched, not anastomosing, 2–3 μm wide below, gradually expanding towards apices, apices colourless or pale-brown, 3.5–4.5 μm wide. Asci broadly clavate, short-stalked, with two wall layers, apex truncated and strongly thickened, with an ocular chamber when young, when mature often with a downward, convex central projection into ascus cavity, discharge rostrate, by a rupturing and extension of inner layers of apex, I− throughout, 50–70 × 10–15 μm. Ascospores overlapping in asci, ellipsoidal to soleiform, apices rounded to somewhat attenuated below, (0–)1(–2)-septate, constricted at median septum, colourless, smooth-walled, (12–)13–17(–19) × (4–)4.5–6 μm.

N: S: Throughout on this widepsread species of Pseudocyphellaria. Known also from Africa, Australia, the British Isles, Scandinavia, Europe, Macaronesia, Asia, North America, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile (Hawksworth & Santesson 1990; Alstrup & Cole 1998; Martínez & Hafellner 1998; Santesson 2001; Triebel & Scholz 2001; Etayo 2002; Hafellner et al. 2002; Kukwa 2002c; Diederich 2003; Hawksworth 2003; Alstrup 2004; Ertz 2004b; Santesson et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Hosts : In New Zealand on Pseudocyphellaria multifida (Kondratyuk & Galloway 1995a). Elsewhere, on a wide variety of species of Peltigera (Hawksworth & Santesson 1990).

Illustrations : Hawksworth & Santesson (1990: 127, figs 1, 3; 131, figs 5–9; 132, figs 10–12; 133, fig. 13).

* Corticifraga fuckelii is characterised by: the lichenicolous habit; host preference (Pseudocyphellaria multifida); asci with a rather thick tholus and an ocular chamber present from an early stage of development; unthickened and scarcely pigmented tips to the paraphyses; and 1-septate ascospores.