Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecidea phyllophila Stirt., Proc. phil. Soc. Glasgow10: 298 (1877).

≡Lopadium phyllophilum (Stirt.) Müll.Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier 2, App. 1: 70 (1894).

Isotype: New Zealand. Wellington, 1874, on fern frond, J. Buchanan [B53.74] – WELT.

Description : Flora (1985: 565).

N: Wellington (Kitchener Park Feilding, Totara Reserve, Kaitoke, Colonial Knob). On leaves of Beilschmiedia tawa, Hymenophyllum sanguinolentum, Metrosideros scandens, Lophomyrtus bullata, Polystichum hispidum. Known also from West Cameroon, East Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, and Réunion (Santesson 1952; Lücking 1992, 1999c; Ferraro & Lücking 2000; Lumbsch et al. 2001; McCarthy et al. 2001; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Rønhede et al. 2003; Herrera-Campos et al. 2004).

Pantropical

Illustrations : Santesson (1952: 495, fig. 84 F); Lücking (1992: 155); Lumbsch et al. (2001: 50); Malcolm & Malcolm (2001: 34, 59).

Tapellaria phyllophila is characterised by: the foliicolous habit; the greyish white or greenish thallus dispersed on a thin prothallus; the black, immarginate apothecial discs; the dark, purplish brown hypothecium, 20–90 μm thick; asci with mainly 2–4 ascospores; and colourless, muriform (15–30 transverse and 1–3 longitudinal septa), narrowly ellipsoidal to almost cylindrical ascospores, 50–105 × 9–17 μm. The species is described in some detail by Zahlbruckner (1941: 320) from material [ZA 231] collected by H.H. Allan from Lophomyrtus bullata. Santesson (1952: 503–504) did not see any original Buchanan material on which Stirton based the type of Lecidea phyllophila, assuming it to be lost. Accordingly, he made a neotype for the species based on material collected by H.H. Allan in 1944 from leaves of Polystichum hispidum from Colonial Knob, Wellington (UPS). However, original material collected by John Buchanan "Supra frondes filicum praesertim Nephrodii hispidii (Hook.)" (Stirton 1877: 299) was preserved in John Buchanan's personal lichen herbarium in the Otago Museum, and is now in WELT. This material serves as an isotype for L. phyllophila Stirt.