Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecanora sphinctrina var. pholidotoides Nyl., Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 9: 250 (1866).

≡Psoroma sphinctrinum var. pholidotoides (Nyl.) Hellb., Bihang K. Sv. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 21 (3/13): 57 (1896).

≡Pannaria pholidotoides (Nyl.) Hue, Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 48: LVII (1902) ["1901"].

Lectotype: New Zealand. Otago, Saddlehill Bush, 26.x.1861, W.L. Lindsay – H-NYL 30773 [fide Galloway (1985a: 480)]. Isolectotype – E.

Description : Flora (1985: 479–480).

Chemistry : vicanicin, pannarin (±), leprolomin (±), and usnic acid (±).

N: Northland (Three Kings Is), South Auckland (Ngaiatonga), Wellington (Ruahine Ra., Tararua Ra., Rimutaka Ra.). S: Nelson (Mt Arthur, Travers Valley, Mt Robert, Lake Rotoiti), Marlborough (Mt Stokes), Westland (Greymouth), Marlborough (Hundalee), Canterbury (Cass, Craigieburn Ra., Moa Stream), Otago (Timaru Creek Lake Hawea, Jordan River, Rockburn Gorge, Trotters Gorge, Flagstaff, Mt Cargill, Akatore), Southland (Doubtful Sound, Astronomer's Point Dusky Sound, Cascade Creek, S Arm Manapouri, Borland Lodge,). St: (Islet Cove Port Pegasus). A: (Enderby I.). C: (Homestead Ridge). Known also from New South Wales and Tasmania and southern South America (Jørgensen & Galloway 1992b; Galloway & Quilhot 1999; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Austral

Illustrations : Jørgensen & Galloway (1992b: 286, fig. 98C); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 132).

Psoroma pholidotoides is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the squamulose thallus developing on a thin to thick, black, byssoid prothallus projecting to 5 mm beyond marginal thalline squamules; the thalline squamules are minute, 0.5–1.0 mm diam., round to irregular, scattered at the margins, coalescing centrally into a dense, flat, appressed, jigsaw-like mosaic, or becoming microphylline or sublobulate, the upper surface pale yellow-green (usnic acid), rarely white-frosted, glossy, waxy; cephalodia are infrequent, marginal or between squamules, to 1 mm diam.; round to irrgeular apothecia, 0.5–2.5 mm diam., the disc red-brown, and sometimes contorted or etched or with thalline lobules, the margins thick, inflexed, crenulate-striate; and ellipsoid ascospores, 13–22 × 9–11 μm.