Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Leptogidium moorei Nyl., Lich. Japon.: 14 (1890).

Description : Thallus closely resembling a species of Polychidium but with ±flattened branches, 20–50 μm wide and up to 0.2 mm long, forming a small, olive-brown to pale-green cushion up to 3 mm diam., with radiate branches. Photobiont Scytonema, cells 8–9.5 μm diam, with the filaments forming the core of the branch, surrounded by a hyaline fungal envelope consisting of angular but ±isodiametric cells, c. 7–8 μm diam. Rhizines abundant on lower surface, simple, threadlike. Basidiomata not seen.

N: Northland (Kaitaia, Mangonui), Auckland (Waitakere Ra.). A still very rarely collected species, present on damp bark of Leptospermum scoparium in humid bush (see Bartlett 1988: 9). Known also from the Queen Charlotte Is, British Columbia (Brodo 1995b: 148 – based on a misidentification [Lepp 2004: 26]), Japan, Chile, and Australia (Henssen 1963d: 110; Yoshimura 1974; Galloway & Quilhot 1999; Lepp 2004).

Circum-Pacific

Illustrations : Henssen (1963d: pl. 30C–E); Yoshimura (1974: pl. 47, fig. 519).

Dictyonema moorei is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the small, olive-brown to pale-green cushions to 3 mm diam.; and Scytonema as photobiont.