Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Urceolaria endochlora Hook.f. & Taylor, Lond. J. Bot. 3: 640 (1844).

≡Aspicilia endochlora (Hook.f. & Taylor) C.W.Dodge, B. A. N. Z. A. R. E. Repts, ser. B, 7: 165 (1948).

Description : Thallus well-developed, 0.4–1 mm thick, whitish to pale creamish or buff, cracked to areolate, delimited by a thin, black, prothalline line up to 1 mm thick. Medulla pale brownish, I−. Apothecia aspicilioid, immersed, 0.5–1 mm diam., without a distinct margin, disc black, brownish when moist, epruinose. Excipulum not developed, or not separable from pale brownish medulla. Hypothecium colourless, to 55 μm thick, foming a deep cone into medullary tissue. Hymenium 50–80 μm, colourless; epithecium dark-green to pale, olive-green. Asci broadly clavate with thick walls, 20–35 × 9–14 μm. Ascospores 8–14 × 3.5–6.5 μm. Pycnidia immersed. Conidia 6–8 × 1 μm.

Chemistry : Thallus K+ yellow; medulla K−, C−, KC−, Pd+ orange; containing atranorin and protocetraric acid.

S: Otago (Old Man Ra, near Obelisk). A: (summit of Mt Eden). On subalpine to high-alpine rocks. Known also from Kerguelen, the Crozet Archipelago and Heard I. (Dodge 1948: 165; Hertel 1984b: 464, 1985b: 309).

Austral

Lecidea endochlora is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the white to creamish thallus (K+ yellow, Pd+ orange, containing atranorin and protocetraric acid); the immersed aspicilioid apothecia, without a distinct margin; colourless hypothecium; and protocetraric acid in the medulla. The species, originally described as Urceolaria endochlora from Kerguelen (Hooker & Taylor 1844: 640), does not belong in Lecidea s. str., and may belong in Diomedella Hertel (Hertel 1984b: 445; 1985b: 309). The species is discussed in detail by Dodge (1948: 165–167).