Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Patellaria macrocarpa DC. in J.B. Lamarck & A.P. de Candolle, Fl. fr. ed. 3, 2: 347 (1805).

=Glyphis neozelandica C.W. Dodge, Nova Hedwigia 19: 456 (1971) ["1970"].

Glyphis neozelandica. Holotype: New Zealand. Canterbury. Arthur's Pass, Phipps Peak, Phipps-Temple ridge, 1830 m, on rock, 5.iii.1966, B.A. Fineran 2267 – CANU. [The holotype of Glyphis neozelandica has simple and not 4-locular ascospores and a Trebouxia -like photobiont, not Trentepohlia as indicated in the protologue (Dodge 1971: 456).]

Description : Thallus variable, inconspicuous and ±obsolete to thick, tartareous, continuous, cracked to ±areolate, surface roughened–arachnoid to wrinkled or papillate; pale greyish fawn or whitish or cream, sometimes patchily oxidised rust-red. Medulla I−. Prothallus indistinct, delimiting thalline patches as a thin, wavy, black line. Apothecia rather large, 1.2–4 mm diam., sessile, abundant, scattered or crowded, level with thallus surface to slightly proud, often separated from thallus by a ±continuous gaping crack, persistent, black, shining, raised, thin to thick entire, flexuous or crenulate, in larger apothecia often ±gyrose or divided by formation of secondary margins within the disc, hyphae 4–9 μm thick in inner part of exciple and reacting K+ reddish; disc subconcave to plane or convex, black or brown-black, matt or shiny, occasionally to commonly grey-pruinose. Exciple 150–200 μm thick, ectal zone brown-black, pigmented part 10–15 μm thick; inner zone brown to dark-brown. Hypothecium brown to dark-brown to 300–350 μm thick. Hymenium 75–100(–130) μm tall, colourless, I+ blue; epithecium olivaceous 12–20 μm thick. Ascospores 15–22(–33) × 7–10(–14) μm.

Chemistry : cortex K−, C−, Pd−; medulla K± yellowish to orange-red, Pd± orange; containing stictic (±) and cryptostictic acids (±).

S: Nelson (Lake Rotoiti), Westland (Fox Glacier, Karangarua River, Paringa River, Haast), Canterbury (Arthur's Pass), Otago (Teviot Valley, Maungatua), Southland (above Lake Chamberlain, Doubtful Sound, Tiwai Point). Often common on rocks and boulders along streams or in glacial environments, roadside cuttings and rock outcrops in grassland, and on quartz pebbles at coast (Tiwai Point). Widely distributed in North America, Europe, Asia and South America (Gowan 1989; Galloway & Coppins 1992b; Santesson 1993; Wirth 1995a, 1995b; Sérusiaux et al. 1999; Aptroot 2002e; Coppins 2002b; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004; Knoph & Rambold 2004; Fryday 2005), but still very poorly known in the Southern Hemisphere where it is presently recorded from alpine localities in both New Zealand (Hertel 1985b: 314) and Australia (Rambold 1989: 289; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Brodo (1981: 57, fig. 20 – as Huilia macrocarpa); Gowan (1989b: 30, fig. 5; 32, fig. 12; 44, fig. 38); Wirth (1995b: 771); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 53, 106); Malcolm & Garnock-Jones (2000: 17); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 102, 119); Dobson (2000: 320; 2005: 361); Lumbsch et al. (2001: 33); Malcolm & Malcolm (2001: 61); Fryday (2005: 8, fig. 2A, C, D, F).

Porpidia macrocarpa is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the usually inconspicuous, whitish (often suffused rust-red) thallus; rather large apothecia (1–4 mm diam.) with a broad margin not darkly pigmented; a sometimes K+ reddish exciple with rather thick hyphae (4–9 μm diam., in inner parts of exciple); a relatively tall hymenium (75–100(–130) μm); large, halonate ascspores, 15–22(–33) × 7–10(–14) μm; and stictic acid as major secondary metabolite (Hertel 1985b: 313).