Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Anaptychia lutescens Kurok., J. Jap. Bot. 36: 54 (1961).

Description : Thallus lobes disjunct, dichotomously branched, linear–elongate, branches remaining apical. Upper cortex of uneven thickness, somewhat fibrous, with delicate marginal pruina (appearing "frosted"), pale grey-white Lower surface ecorticate with pigment in lower layers of medulla; pigment pale-yellow, to orange-pink or pink with age; sorediate. Soralia subapical on underside of lobes. Apothecia rare, adnate to subpedicellate, subapical; thalline exciple crenulate. Ascospores with sporoblastidia, 36–43 × 20– 21 μm.

Chemistry : Atranorin, zeorin, pigments

N: Northland (Unuwhao, Herekino Gorge, Whangarei Heads), Auckland (Domain). On northern coastal and lowland trees and rocks, still very poorly collected in New Zealand. Known also from the tropics and subtropics, the Azores, Central and South America, East Africa, China, Hawai'i, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia (Kurokawa 1961, 1962; Swinscow & Krog 1988; Kashiwadani et al. 1990; Moberg & Purvis 1997; Elix & McCarthy 1998; Aptroot 2002e; Becker 2002; Moberg 2004a).

Pantropical

Illustration : Kurokawa (1961: 55, fig. 16).

Heterodermia lutescens is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the dichotomously branching lobes, the subapical soralia on the lower surface and the yellow pigments on the lower surface.