Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Parmelia velata Turner, Trans. Linn. Soc. 9: 143 (1808).

=Pertusaria obvelata Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 66 (1888).

Description : Thallus greyish white to off-white, slightly cracked and areolate, surface smooth to slightly wrinkled, dull, without soredia or isidia. Apothecia disc-like, numerous, scattered or crowded, concolorous with thallus, 0.5–1 mm diam., discs pale to dark reddish brown, slightly to densely white-pruinose. Ascospores 1 per ascus (rarely 2 per ascus), ellipsoidal, smooth, thin-walled, 100–200(–275) × (10–)30–45 (–60) μm, wall to 5 μm thick.

Chemistry : K−, KC+ orange-red, C+ red, Pd−; containing lecanoric acid (major), gyrophoric acid (tr.), orsellinic acid (tr.), ±lichexanthone (tr. to major) (Archer 1997: 216).

S: Nelson (Cobb Dam, Flora Saddle, Maruia Springs, Lewis Pass), Canterbury (Craigieburn Ra.), Otago (Black Head, Green Island). On bark of Nothofagus, and on coastal, basalt rocks. Widespread with a pantropical and temperate distribution. Known also from Europe, Asia, China, North and South America, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales) (Dibben 1980; Archer 1991b, 1997, 2004a: 168–169; Archer & Elix 1994b; Archer & Messuti 1997; Lumbsch et al. 1999; Aptroot 2002e; Lumbsch & Nash 2002; Moon et al. 2002; Kurokawa 2003; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Zhao et al. 2004).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Oshio (1968: 107, fig. 15A–D; pl. III, fig. 2); Yoshimura (1974: pl. 22m, fig. 190); Dibben (1980: 153, fig. 117); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 32, 148, 159, 169, 175); Lumbsch et al. (1999: 227, fig. 33); Thor & Arvidsson (1999: 301); Brodo et al. (2001: 534, pl. 640); Messuti (2005: 117, fig. 2C).

Pertusaria velata is characterised by: the corticolous/saxicolous habit; disc-like apothecia (occasionally 2-spored asci are found in NZ material, though generally asci have only 1 spore) with pruinose to sorediate discs, and the presence of lecanoric acid. An exhaustive discussion of the taxonomy of this taxon is given in Archer & Messuti (1997). See also Messuti (2005: 119–120).

Pertusaria obvelata. Lectotype: New Zealand. Otago, Green Island Bluff [=Black Head], on columnar basalt, October 1861, W.L. Lindsay – H-NYL 2378 [fide Galloway (1985a: 377)].