Hypotrachyna immaculata
≡Parmelia immaculata Kurok. in M.E. Hale & S. Kurokawa, Contr. U. S. Natnl Herb. 36: 178 (1964).
Description : Thallus loosely adnate to adnate, rather fragile, to 5–7 cm diam. Lobes contiguous, sublinear, subdichotomously branched, 1.5–3 mm wide, margins entire, apices incised. Upper surface whitish grey, flat, shining, without maculae, pustules or isidia, sorediate. Soralia subterminal large, capitate, 1–2 mm wide, often ochraceous below. Medulla mostly white, orange-brown below soralia. Lower surface densely rhizinate, rhizines densely dichotomously branched. Apothecia rare, sessile, 2–3 mm diam., thalline exciple sorediate. Ascospores 10–14 × 4–7 μm.
Chemistry : Cortex K+ yellow, UV−; medulla K− or + pale reddish, C−, KC+ rose, Pd−, UV−; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, colensoic acid (major or minor), 4- O- methylphysodic acid (major or minor), lividic acid (minor or major), physodic acid (minor) and oxyphysodic acids (minor).
N: South Auckland (Ohope Beach). On pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) bark in coastal planting (Elix & Johnston 1991). A pantropical species extending also into temperate areas and known from Africa, South America, Thailand, Taiwan, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Australia (Aptroot 2002e; Kantvilas et al. 2002; Louwhoff & Elix 2002a: 60; Nash et al. 2002b; Wolseley et al. 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).
Pantropical
Illustrations : Hale (1975: 43, fig. 12B); Louwhoff & Elix (2002a: 61, fig. 22).
Hypotrachyna immaculata is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the capitate soralia, the UV− upper cortex (lichexanthone absent), and the presence of the lividic acid complex in the medulla.
