Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. South I., Nelson, Golden Bay, Pakawau Creek Road, 40º34.5's, 172º38.8'E, on leaves of Podocarpus totara, 24.ix.1993, W.M. Malcolm 1119 – CHR 486638. Isotypes – BM, CANB, DUKE, ESS, GZU, H, HO, M, PRM, TSB, UPS, VBI, Herb. K. Kalb, Herb. A. Vězda.

Description : Thallus epiphyllous, crustose, areolate, areolae dispersed, 0.3–0.5 mm diam., 0.1 mm thick, white, without a prothallus. Apothecia globose, sometimes of two or more fused tubercles, pink, 0.3–0.35(–0.5) mm diam., stipitate, stalk white, 0.2–0.4 mm tall, 0.1 mm diam. Epithecium with small, yellow-brown granules, dissolving in K. Hymenium to 70 μm tall, colourless. Hamathecium of paraphyses, straight, partly anastomosing, 1.5 μm thick. Hypothecium hyaline. Ascospores ellipsoidal, 3-septate, 12–15 × 2.5–3 μm, septa unevenly thickened.

Chemistry : Thallus K+ yellow→red; containing norstictic acid (major), connorstictic acid (minor or tr.), salazinic acid (minor or tr.) and galbinic acid (minor, trace or lacking).

N: Nelson. Probably more widely distributed.

Endemic

Exsiccati : Vězda (1995b: No. 185).

Illustrations : Malcolm & Vězda (1996b: 265, fig. 1; 266, fig. 2); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 105, 130, 136, 165); Australasian Lichenology 45 (1999: front cover); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 10; 2001: 11, 38, 52).

Podotara pilophoriformis is characterised by: the foliicolous habit; the white, spreading areolate thallus; the distinctively stalked, globose, pinkish apothecia; 3-septate ascospores with characteristically thickened septa; and a distinctive chemistry.