Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Sphaeria epigaea Pers., Syn. Meth. Fung. addendum: xxvii (1801).

Description : Flora (1985: 577–578).

S: Canterbury (Hanmer State Forest), Otago (Poolburn Reservoir, Botanic Gardens, Dunedin, Mt Cargill). On clay soils in disturbed sites such as roadsides or bush tracks. Probably much more widepsread in New Zealand, but still very poorly collected and imperfectly known here. A widespread lichen with an holarctic distribution in the Northern Hemisphere where it is known as far north as Greenland (Swinscow 1964; Hansen & Poelt 1987; Poelt & Vězda 1990; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Breuss 2002f; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Santesson et al. 2004; Elvebakk & Bjerke 2006). In the Southern Hemisphere it is presently known only from Chile (Galloway & Quilhot 1999) and New Zealand. In Great Britain and the Azores, populations of T. epigaeum are parasitised by the lichenicolous/?algicolous fungus * Leightoniomyces phillipsii (Berk. & Leight.) D.Hawksw. & B.Sutton orth 1977a: 200–203), and this parasymbiont should be searched for in New Zealand populations.

Bipolar

Illustrations : Zschacke (1934: 556, fig. 300); Swinscow (1964: 277, fig. 1); Foucard (1990: fig. 323).

Thrombium epigaeum is recognised by its greenish-yellow or greyish green, thin, varnish-like thallus spreading over the surface of exposed clay banks; by the immersed perithecia with only the apical ostioles visible; the persistent, unbranched paraphyses; and the simple, colourless ascospores.