Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Parmelia sphinctrina Mont., Annls Sci. nat. Bot. sér. 2, 4: 90 (1835).

≡Parmelia rubiginosa var. sphinctrina (Mont.) Hook.f., Fl. Ant. 2: 533 (1847).

≡Psoroma sphinctrinum (Mont.) Nyl., Annls Sci. nat. Bot. sér. 4, 3: 181 (1855).

≡Lecanora sphinctrina (Mont.) Nyl., Bull. Soc. linn. Normandie, sér. 2, 2: 62 (1868).

=Psoroma sphinctrinum var. discretum Nyl., Syn. meth. lich. 2: 25 (1869).

≡Pannaria sphinctrina var. discreta (Nyl.) Hue, Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 48: LVI (1902) ["1901"].

≡Psoroma discretum (Nyl.) Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 52 (1888).

=Psoroma pyxinoides Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 53 (1888).

=Pannaria beata Hue, Nouv. Archs Mus. Hist. nat. Paris, sér. 4, 8: 264 (1906).

=Pannaria laciniata Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 275 (1941).

Psoroma pyxinoides. Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], Charles Knight 62 – H-NYL 30804 [fide Galloway (1985a: 482)].

Pannaria beata. Type: New Zealand. Bay of Islands, ? J.D. Hooker, ex Herb. Montagne – PC− not seen.

Pannaria laciniata. Holotype: New Zealand. Rangitoto I., on Griselinia lucida, H.H. Allan W4 – W. Isotypes – CHR 241711, 264059. [P. laciniata is TLC−, and is probably more closely related to P. allorhiza than it is to P. sphinctrina (A. Elvebakk, pers. comm.).]

Description : Flora (1985: 481 – as Psoroma sphinctrinum).

Chemistry : Vicanicin (Quilhot et al. 1989).

N: Northland (Three Kings Is, Radar Bush, Kawerua, Tutamoe, Tapu Bush, Little Barrier I., Great Barrier I.), Auckland (Waitakere Ra.), South Auckland (Mt Maungatawhiri Coromandel Peninsula, Cuvier I., Kaimai Ra.), Wellington (Kapiti I., Wellingon, Tararua Ra.). S: Nelson (Lake Rotoiti, St Arnaud Ra., Travers Valley), Marlborough (Queen Charlotte Sound, d'Urville I.), Otago (Leith Valley, Flagstaff, Akatore), Southland (Lake Thompson, Cascade Cove Dusky Sound). St: (Magog Fraser Peaks, Islet Cove Port Pegasus) A: On bark of forest trees and shrubs, and occasionally on rocks, coastal and lowland to subalpine, s.l. to 1000 m. A common and widespread species in areas of moderate to high rainfall.Known also from Australia and southern South America (Galloway & Quilhot 1999; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Austral

Illustrations : Martin & Child (1972: 116, pl. 28 – as Psoroma sphinctrinum); Malcolm & Malcolm (1989: 108 – as Psoroma pholidotoides; 2000: 49, 75 – as P. Sphinctrinum); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 108, 121, 150 – as Psoroma sphinctrinum).

Pannaria sphinctrina is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the variable, foliose–lobate, orbicular to spreading thallus developed on a black, fibrous prothallus; rather narrow lobes (to 2 mm wide and 6–20 mm long) that are discrete or imbricate centrally, without marginal or laminal phyllidia or soredia; the bright-green to olive-green upper surface when freshly gathered (cinnamon-brown on storage), that is neither scabrid nor tomentose; flattened, placodioid, marginal and laminal cephalodia, to 2 mm diam.; frequent apothecia, to 5 mm diam., the disc red-brown or orange, often gyrose-etched and with concentric rings or ridges, but without pruina; ellipsoid–fusiform ascospores, 11–20 × 8–11 μm; and vicanicin as the major secondary compound. It has a green alga as major photobiont. The species as here delimited is undoubtedly heterogeneous and will no doubt be resolved into several component taxa, after careful study of New Zealand, Australian and South American material. Tropical collections referred to P. sphinctrina belong to a new genus that is currently being described (A. Elvebakk, pers. comm.).