Flora of New Zealand Series

P. neglecta (Müll. Arg.) H. Magn. Acta Horti gothoburg. 14: 30 (1940).

Stictina neglecta Müll. Arg., Flora 70: 58 (1887).

S. crocata f. esorediata Müll. Arg., Flora 66: 354 (1883).

Pseudocyphellaria australiensis H. Magn. Acta Horti gothoburg. 14: 9 (1940).

P. crocata var. isidiotyla H. Magn. Acta Horti gothoburg. 14: 14 (1940).

P. crocata f. coralloidea H. Magn. Acta Horti gothoburg. 14: 15 (1940).

Thallus orbicular to spreading, 5-8(-12) cm diam., rather loosely attached. Lobes rather rigid, 1-2.5 cm wide, separated by shallow incisions or the still broader main lobes, 3-4 cm long, margins ± ascending especially towards apices, ragged, densely and irregularly crenulate, phyllidiate. Upper surface brownish-yellow to greenish-brown or dark red-brown, matt, ± faveolate, with dense, low interconnecting ridges lacking soredia, ± phyllidiate. Phyllidia marginal, flattened, often eroded at apices and appearing spuriously yellow-sorediate. Medulla white or pale yellow-white. Photobiont blue-green. Lower surface tomentose to margins, ± pale ochraceous-yellow at margins, dark brown to black centrally. Pseudocyphellae yellow, frequent, 0.3-0.5 mm diam., verruciform or flattened. Apothecia sparse to ± frequent, laminal, rarely marginal, disc 1-2 mm diam., concave or ± plane, smooth, dark brown or blackish, matt, margins pale, smooth or subdenticulate, thalline exciple ± tomentose. Ascospores polaribilocular, brown, 25-30 × 8-10 µm. Chemistry: Pulvinic dilactone, pulvinic acid, calycin, methyl virensate, physciosporin (5-chloromethylvirensate), hopane-6α,7β,22-triol, hopane-7β-22-diol (±), 6α-acetoxyhopane-7β,22-diol (±), 7β-acetoxyhopane-6α,22-diol (±), stictic (in c. one fifth of cases this is replaced by salazinic acid), constictic and norstictic acids.

N: Rangitoto I., to Wellington. S: Nelson to Banks Peninsula. Lowland and coastal to ± subalpine inland, both east and west of the Main Divide in South I. On rocks in grassland, stone walls, bark of trees and shrubs (Leptospermum and Metrosideros especially).

Australasian

P. neglecta is related to P. crocata but is distinguished by the lack of soredia, the marginal phyllidia and the often copious development of apothecia. It also tends to be a rather more robust and larger plant than P. crocata. Most specimens examined have stictic acid in the medulla but in a small percentage of specimens this compound is replaced by salazinic acid. It is discussed by Galloway [ Lichenologist 15: 307-308 (1983)].