Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Parmelia intricata Ach., Methodus: 178 (1803).

Description : Thallus irregularly spreading, 1–3 cm diam., thick, closely attached, forming a continuous to areolate crust, of flattened areolae. Areolae 0.5–1(–2) mm diam., separated by narrow to deep cracks and resembling a jigsaw pattern, margins often somewhat crenulate; prothallus black, not apparent at margins, visible between gaping cracks in areolae. Upper surface flat to convex, pale watery grey-green to yellowish green, smooth to finely wrinkled, matt to somewhat glossy, without soredia. Apothecia central, (0.1–)0.2–1.0(–1.5) mm diam., immersed to sessile, not constricted at base, 1–4 per areole; thalline exciple at first entire and slightly raised, becoming flexuose and eventually ±excluded, concolorous with thallus, disc blackish green to greenish brown, at maturity somewhat piebald, never yellow, concave at first, soon becoming plane to subconvex, matt or slightly glossy, epruinose. Hymenium 60–70 μm tall. Ascospores (8–)10–14(–15) × 4.5–7 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus K− or + yellow, KC+ yellow, C−, Pd−; containing usnic acid and zeorin.

N: Gisborne (Mt Hikurangi), Wellington (Ruapehu). S: Nelson (Cobb Lake, Mt Benson), Canterbury (Walker's Spur, Ben McLeod Ra.), Otago (Poolburn Reservoir, Old Man Ra., Gem Lake, Umbrella Mts, McPhee's Rock, Rock & Pillar Ra.). On exposed, sunny rock outcrops (esp. bird-perch rocks), forming sympatric colonies with Candelariella coralliza, Lecanora polytropa, Protoparmelia badia, Rhizocarpon geographicum, R. lecanorinum and Umbilicaria umbilicarioides (Galloway 2002b). It is known also from Great Britain (Purvis et al. 1992; Coppins 2002b), Europe, including Macaronesia (Nimis 1993; Scholz 2000; Hafellner & Türk 2001; Llimona & Hladun 2001; Nimis & Martellos 2003), Scandinavia (Santesson 1993; Santesson et al. 2004), Greenland (Hansen 1995), North America (Esslinger & Egan 1995; Brodo et al. 2001; Ryan et al. 2004b: 231), alpine areas of SE Australia (McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Lumbsch & Elix 2004), Bolivia and Tierra del Fuego in South America (Messuti et al. 2003b) and the South Shetland Is in Antarctica (Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001).

Bipolar

Illustrations : Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 113); Wirth (1987: 237); Hansen (1995: 94); Dobson (2000: 196; 2005: 225).

Lecanora intricata is a rare, bipolar species apparently but obviously overlooked, since it may be readily confused with L. polytropa. It is distinguished from L. polytropa by the different colour of the thallus and apothecia, the crenulate margins of the areolae, the jigsaw-patterned surface, the mainly immersed apothecia with darker discs that do not become strongly convex, and the generally more continuous thallus.