Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. South Auckland, Matamata County, Mamaku Plateau, Tirau–Matamata Road, 38º09's, 176ºE, 360 m, on Weinmannia racemosa bark, 28.iii.1982, J.K. Bartlett 19749 – AK 192245.

Description : Thallus off-white to pale-grey, thin, cracked, surface smooth and shining, without isidia or soredia. Apothecia verruciform, conspicuous, sparse, flattened-hemispherical, concolorous with thallus, not constricted at base, 1–1.5 mm diam., becoming split and torn to reveal the dark-brown to black epithecium. Ascospores 8 per ascus, biseriate, ellipsoidal to subfusiform, smooth, 90–100(–120) × 30–40(–50) μm; outer wall 2–4 μm thick, inner wall 4–5 μm thick.

Chemistry : K+ yellow→red, KC−, C−, Pd+ yellow; containing salazinic acid (major), norstictic acid (minor), and connorstictic acid (tr.) (Archer & Elix 1994a: 204).

N: South Auckland (Mamaku Plateau). S: Nelson (Mt Duppa Track). On bark. Still very poorly collected.

Endemic

Illustrations : Archer & Elix (1994a: 205, fig. 2); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 102, 156); Australasian Lichenology 52 (2003: front & back covers).

Pertusaria celata is characterised by: the corticolous habit; torn verrucae revealing the black or dark-brown epithecium of the apothecia below, and the presence of salazinic acid. It somewhat resembles the saxicolous species P. erumpescens Nyl., but has much longer and larger spores.