Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Northland, Mangonui County, North Cape area, Te Huka, 100 m, 9.v.1984, J.K. Bartlett 28624 [AK].

Description : Thallus up to 10 cm diam., loosely attached to substratum, smooth, dull grey to whitish grey, with paler, sometimes slightly raised areas, up to 0.6 mm thick, prothallus usually distinct, whitish, byssoid. Medulla whitish with many calcium oxalate crystals (5–25 μm diam.). Photobiont green, Trentepohlia -like, cells single or a few cells aggregated, 6–15 × 5–10 μm. Isidia not seen but with a few, globose, isidia-like structures, 0.1 mm diam. Paraphysoids enclosing the asci loosely attached. Asci frequent, weakly aggregated, often covered by a blackish amorphous tissue enclosed by whitish hyphae, usually with spores, monosporous or rarely 2-spored, with or without a distinct ocular chamber, 90–105 × 50–65 μm. Ascospores frequent, ovoid, often slightly constricted just below mid-point (50–)70–85(–95) × 20–30(–33) μm. Pycnidia infrequent, developed in zone between different thalli, solitary, immersed to slightly elevated, black, 0.05 mm diam. Conidia bacillar, slightly curved, 5–6(–7) × 1 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus K−, C+ red, Pd−, UV+ pale grey-white; containing gyrophoric acid.

N: Northland (Te Paki, Radar Bush, Waiwera Scenic Reserve, Te Huka, Herekino Gorge, Church Road Scenic Reserve near Kaitaia, Okaihau Hill). On bark of Agathis australis, Beilschmiedia tarairi, Leptospermum scoparium, Rhopalostylis sapida, Vitex lucens in northern coastal forest, 100–300 m. First collected by the late John Bartlett (Thor 1997).

Endemic

Illustration : Thor (1997: 279, fig. 3A).

Cryptothecia bartlettii is most easily recognised by: the corticolous habit; and the loosely attached grey to whitish grey thallus that is C+ red (gyrophoric acid); paraphysoids loosely enclosing asci; and ovoid ascospores often slightly constricted just below mid-point (50–)70–85(–95) × 20–30(–33) μm.