Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Wellington, 1874–75, S. Berggren s.n. – S.

Description : Thallus coherent to areolate, to 1.5 cm diam., and to 0.5 mm thick. Areolae irregular to rounded, white to yellow-white, 0.05–0.15(–0.2) mm diam. Surface rough. Medulla I−, hyphae 4 μm thick. Prothallus rarely developed at margins or between areolae, black. Apothecia rounded to irregular, dispersed to crowded, ±constricted at base, 0.2–0.5 mm diam.; disc plane to subconvex, black, matt to shining, epruinose. Margins distinct from the beginning, ±occluded in convex apothecia, black, shining. Exciple 50–65 μm thick; ectal zone c. 5 μm thick, colourless to pale olive-grey; inner zone colourless. Hypothecium colourless, to 250 μm thick; subhymenial layer colourless, c. 25 m thick. Hymenium I+ blue, 50–95 μm tall, colourless. Epithecium colurless to pale olive-grey, c. 5 μm thick. Paraphyses sometimes branched and anastomosing, c. 1.5–2 μm diam., apical cells to 4–5 μm diam. Asci 55 × 18 μm; tholus 8 μm thick, outer amyloid wall layer c. 1.0 μm thick, non-amyloid wall layer c. 0.5 μm thick. Ascospores ellipsoidal, colourless, 7.5–12.5 × 4.5–7.5 μm. Pycnidia not seen.

Chemistry : Thallus K−, C−, Pd−; containing vicanicin (major), 2,5,7-trichloro-3- O -methylnorlichexanthone (tr.).

N: Wellington (Known only from the type collection – growing on wood). Also in Uruguay (Knoph et al. 1999: 166).

?Palaeotropical

Lecidella commutata is characterised by: the lignicolous habit; small apothecia; a colourless hypothecium, and the presence of vianicin as major medullary compound.