Flora of New Zealand Series

Description : Apothecia 0.5–0.8 mm diam., scattered on thallus of host, sessile, black, matt; disc at first urceolate becoming plane, with a thin margin. Excipulum greyish brown, of textura globosa or textura angularis, cells 6–8 μm diam. Hypothecium pale brownish. Hymenium colourless, to 80 μm tall; epithecium brownish green. Asci of Dactylospora -type, 60–70 × 12–15 μm. Paraphyses septate, branching in upper parts, 1–1.5 μm thick, apices swollen, greenish brown with a pigmented cap 3–5(–6) μm thick. Ascospores brown, 5–7-septate to submuriform, (14–)17–19(–22) × (5.5–)6–8 (–9) μm.

S: Canterbury (Hundalee, near Lake Tekapo, lower Godley Valley), Otago (Richardson Mts). In alpine to high-alpine fellfield. Known also from Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Great Britain and Argentinian Tierra del Fuego (Hafellner 1985b: 169; Santesson 1993; Hawksworth 2003; Ihlen et al. 2004a; Santesson et al. 2004).

Bipolar

Host : Thalli of Brigantiaea fuscolutea.

Illustration : Hafellner (1985b: 168, fig. 1).

* Dactylospora frigida is characterised by: the lichenicolous habit; the brown, 5–7-septate to submuriform ascospores; and Brigantiaea fuscolutea as host.