Flora of New Zealand Series

P. lividofusca (Krempelh.) D. Galloway et P. James, Lichenologist 12: 300 (1980).

Sticta lividofusca Krempelh., Verhandl. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien 26: 448 (1876).

Lectotype [fide Galloway and James loc. cit., p. 300 (1980)]: New Zealand. Sine loco (prob. Wellington). Charles Knight, M!

Thallus thick, coriaceous, orbicular to spreading, ± loosely attached, 5-10(-15) cm diam. Lobes rounded at apices, ± elongate-flabellate, contiguous to subimbricate, sinuses circular, margins entire, slightly thickened, shallowly notched or incised, sometimes subascendent. Upper surface bright lettuce-green to glaucous-green when wet, suffused brownish-red at apices, pale greyish- green or brownish when dry, undulate or ± plane, smooth, matt or shining, with small, white, punctate to raised white pseudocyphellae. Medulla white. Photobiont green. Lower surface tomentose to margins, pale buff or ochraceous-brown at margins, brown-black centrally. Pseudocyphellae numerous, round to irregular, white with a ± prominent margin. Apothecia sparse to moderate, submarginal, to 6 mm diam., disc concave to plane, red-brown, matt, epruinose, margins thin, pale, crenulate. Ascospores brown, 1-3-septate, 27-37 × 5-7(-10) µm. Chemistry: Two chemodemes. (i): 7β-acetoxyhopane-22- ol and hopane-15α,22-diol (in type). (ii): 15α-acetoxy-22-hydroxyhopan-24-oic acid (±) 15α-22-dihydroxy-24-hopanoic acid. (Dr A.L. Wilkins pers. comm.).

N: S: St: Throughout, lowland and coastal in semi-shaded habitats of moderate to high humidity. On bark and twigs of forest trees and shrubs.

Endemic

P. lividofusca has broad, rounded lobes (tinged reddish-brown at apices) with scattered, white, punctate pseudocyphellae on the upper surface. It is distinguished from P. episticta by the broad, rounded lobe margins which are not lacerate-isidiate, and from P. knightii by lobe morphology and a green photobiont. It is illustrated (as P. amphisticta) in Martin and Child ["Lichens of New Zealand" p. 135, pl. 40 (1972)].

Chemistry in the species is discussed by Ronaldson and Wilkins [ Aust. J. Chem. 31 (1): 215-219 (1978)]. Photosymbiodemes are formed with P. knightii.