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Lichens (1985) - Flora of New Zealand Lichens
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Lecanactis Körb.

LECANACTIS Eschw., 1824

Thallus crustose, mostly homoiomerous, attached to substrate by medullary hyphae, corticolous or saxicolous. Photobiont green, Trentepohlia, orange-yellow when freshly gathered material is scratched. Apothecia innate to sessile, rounded, with a cupular, carbonaceous proper margin. Epithecium granular, pigmented olive-green to brown-black. Hypothecium brownish-black. Asci clavate, 8-spored. Ascospores fusiform or acicular, 3-5(-35)-septate, colourless.

Key

1
Apothecia pruinose, spores 3-13-septate
2
Apothecia epruinose, spores 12-35-septate
5
2
Apothecia black
3
Apothecia pale greyish- or pinkish-brown
4
3
Spores 7-septate, 38-45 × 3 µm
redingeri
Spores 4-6-septate, 21-34 × 3.5-5 µm
subfarinosa
4
Apothecia ± gyrose, spores 11-13-septate, 36-45 × 3 µm
pallens
Apothecia not gyrose, spores 3-septate, 18-21 × 3.5-4 µm
totarae
5
Thallus smooth, ± continuous, K-, apothecia black, marginate, spores 20-35-septate
mecistophora
Thallus granular-papillate, ± areolate-cracked or effuse, K+ orange, apothecia red-brown, immarginate, spores 12-18-septate
meiophragmia

Lecanactis is a cosmopolitan genus of c. 90 described species, 6 of which are recorded from New Zealand. It is included in the family Lecanactidaceae but has some features in common with Opegrapha. The genus is much in need of collection and study in New Zealand. The precise limits of separation of Lecanactis, Enterographa and Schismatomma are not known with certainty.

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