Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecanora peloleuca Nyl., Flora 48: 338 (1865). [For additional synonymy see Matzer et al. (1998: 176)].

Lectotype: New Zealand. South I., Otago, Dunedin, on columnar basalt, x.1861, W.L. Lindsay – H-NYL 28504 [fide Mayrhofer (1983: 276)]. Isolectotypes: E, H-NYL 2900.

Description : Thallus epilithic, sordid-whitish or pale-grey, more rarely brownish, membranous to areolate, cortex packed with granular inclusions, prothallus evanescent or blackish. Apothecia cryptolecanorine to pseudo-biatorine, innate to adnate, frequent, contiguous, 1–1.3 mm diam.; disc dark-brown to blackish, plane to subconvex, usually with a pale proper margin surrounding disc as a thin line, clearly visible when moist. Exciple brown, internally hyaline. Parathecium hyaline. Epithecium brown or yellow-brown, often covered by a hyaline epipsamma. Hymenium 100–115 μm tall. Paraphyses 1–3 μm thick, unbranched, apices clavate, to 6 μm diam. Hypothecium 100–170 μm thick, colourless to pale-yellow, K+ yellow intensifying. Asci Lecanora -type. Ascospores Physconia -type, spore ontongeny type A, torus small, diffuse or absent, (12–) 15–23(–27) × (8–)10–13(–15) μm, wall finely scabrid. Pycnidia immersed. Conidia bacillar, 4–5 × (1–)1.5(–2) μm.

Chemistry : Thallus: K−, C−, KC−, Pd−; medulla K+ red-violet, C−, KC−, Pd−, I−; containing skyrin, and triterpenoids including an isomer of zeorin.

N: Wellington (Titahi Bay; Wellington Harbour, Manurewa Pt, W of Tora, S of Martinborough). S: Nelson (Cable Bay), Marborough (Whites Bay to Kaikoura), Canterbury (Taylor's Mistake, Lyttelton Harbour, Tumbledown Bay Banks Peninsula), Otago (Otago Harbour, Brighton, Kaka Point, Jacks Bay near Owaka), Southland (Riverton, Howells Point). Sn: A: (Davis I., Port Ross) C: (Dent Is) [map in Kaschik (2006: 103, fig. 62)]. On coastal rocks – the species of Rinodina found closest to the waterline. Associating with Caloplaca cribrosa, Amandinea lecideina, A. otagensis and Rinodina oleae. Known also from Tasmania, Macquarie I., Chile, Argentina, Falkland Is, South Georgia, Bouvetøya, Prince Edward I., South Shetland Is and South Orkney Is (Mayrhofer 1984b; Matzer et al. 1998; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Kaschik 2006).

Austral

Illustrations : Mayrhofer (1983: 268, fig. 1; 275, fig. 18); Matzer et al. (1998: 177, fig. 1; 178, fig. 2); Kaschik (2006: 102, fig. 60).

Rinodina peloleuca is characterised by: the saxicolous habit (coastal rocks); ascospores of Physconia -type; and chemically by the presence of the orange, K+ red-violet pigment skyrin, and triterpenoids. It is discussed in detail in Matzer et al. (1998: 183–184) who also report several lichenicolous fungi from this species, viz., * Muellerella lichenicola (q.v.), * Polycoccum sp., * Pyrenidium actinellum (q.v.) and an unidentified lichenicolous Coelomycete.