Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Verrucaria melanobapha Kremp., Lichenes foliicolae quos legit O. Beccari annis 1866–1867 in insula Borneo, (München): 18 (1874).

Description : Thallus foliicolous, subcuticular, efffigurate, rounded, 10–20(–25) mm diam., formed of ±linear, ±dichotomously branched lobes, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, not or only slightly anastomosing, smooth to slightly wrinkled, dark grey-green, glossy, margins of lobes bordered by a thin, black line and commonly with numerous, regularly scattered, small (0.03 mm diam.), black papillae; 10–16 μm thick. Photobiont Cephaleuros, cells rectangular to oblong, 9–13 × 4–7 μm, forming a continuous, radiating plate. Perithecia scattered, 0.45–0.7 mm diam., 150–250 μm tall, convex, basally spreading, black to blackish green, matt or glossy. Involucrellum black, 30–50 μm thick, in part covered by a thin layer of thalline tissue. Exciple brown towards apex, brown to colourless in basal parts. Centrum applanate, 250–450 × 100–200 μm. Paraphyses simple, c. 1.5 μm thick. Asci narrowly obclavate, 60–110 × 6–10 μm. Ascospores 8 per ascus, biseriate, 1(rarely 3)-septate, fusiform with acute apices, slightly constricted at septum, 14–22 × 3–5 μm. Pycnidia numerous, 0.2–0.3 mm diam., convex, black, glossy, producing simple, bacillar macroconidia, 10–12 × 2–3 μm. Microconidia not seen.

N: Auckland (Waitakere Ra.). On leaves of Alectryon excelsum (Bartlett 1988). Known also from Brazil, West and East Africa, Réunion, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, New Guinea, Hawai'i, New Caledonia and Australia (Santesson 1952; Smith 1977; Farkas & Sipman 1997; Smith et al. 1997; Vězda et al. 1997; Lücking & Kalb 2001; Wolseley et al. 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Rønhede et al. 2003).

Pantropical

Illustrations : Santesson (1952: 189, fig. 28); Thor et al. (2000: 48, fig. 6G, H).

Strigula melanobapha is characterised by: the foliicolous habit; a thallus with almost free lobes; fusiform ascospores with acute apices, 14–22 × 3–5 μm; and macroconidia 10–12 × 2–3 μm. It is closely related to S. subtilissima (q.v.).