Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Parmelia (Menegazzia) nothofagi Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 360 (1941).

Holotype: New Zealand. Wellington, Raetihi, c. 600 m, on Nothofagus menziesii, J.E. Attwood A34 – W. Isotype – CHR 241710.

Description : Flora (1985: 285–286).

Chemistry : Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow-orange, C−, KC+ orange, Pd+ orange; containing atranorin, stictic, constictic, norstictic (tr.) and menegazziaic acids.

N: Northland (Kawerua) to Wellington. S: Nelson (St Arnaud Ra.) to Southland (Edendale Reserve, Waihopai Scenic Reserve), both E and W of the Main Divide from lowland, coastal forest to subalpine vegetation at treeline. St: (Butterfields Beach near Oban, Port Pegasus). Ch: (Nikau Scenic Reserve). Mainly on bark of forest trees (e.g. Myrsine australis), on young gymnosperms in Sphagnum bogs, rarely on rocks in dry, open Leptospermum scrub or among mosses on rocks or on the ground. Known also from eastern Australia and Tasmania (James & Galloway 1992: 239; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Australasian

Illustrations : James & Galloway (1992: 240, fig. 88B); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 85).

Menegazzia nothofagi is a small-lobed rather ragged looking species, with plane to convex lobes, usually green and suffused brownish at apices which also have a white-maculate reticulum (×10 lens). Soredia arise from bursting of coarse, isidia-like vesicles that may be so numerous as to obscure central parts of the thallus. In some specimens, soredia are not well-developed, but the ruptured vesicles are characteristic. It is closely related to M. eperforata, which has isidia and lacks perforations.