Flora of New Zealand Series

≡*Lecidea parasitica Flörke, Dtschl. Fl. 6: 3 (1819).

Description : Apothecia black, rounded to incipiently lirellate, plane to subconvex with a thin concolorous margin. Exciple red-brown, in outer parts parenchymatous with sharply defined walls, the lumina to 10 μm diam., inner parts with small cells and strongly swollen walls. Hypothecium red-brown. Hymenium hyaline, 50–65 μm tall; epithecium red-brown. Asci with a gelatinous cap, clavate to cylindrical, 40–55 × 8–12 μm. Paraphyses septate, 2 μm thick, apical cells swollen to 5 μm diam., with a dark red-brown gelatinous cap. Ascospores brown, broadly ellipsoidal, 3-septate, slightly constricted at septa, 9–11.5(–15) × 3.5–4.5(–5) μm.

N: Sine loco, W. Colenso (Nylander 1888: 112). Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia and North America (Hafellner 1979, 2004b; Santesson 1993; Cole & Hawksworth 2001; Kukwa 2002c; Diederich 2003; Hawksworth 2003; Ihlen et al. 2004a; Santesson et al. 2004).

? Bipolar

Host : Ochrolechia parella. Known also from species of Pertusaria and Ochrolechia (Hafellner (1979: 94; Cole & Hawksworth 2001: 314). Recorded from New Zealand as Lecidea parasitica (Nylander 1888: 112) and as Buellia parasitica (Müller Argoviensis 1894: 71).

Illustrations : Hafellner (1979: 95, fig. 9); Boqueras (2000: 184, fig. 24D).

* Dactylospora parasitica is characterised by: the lichenicolous habit; the broadly ellipsoidal, brown, 3-septate ascospores; and the lichenicolous habit on Ochrolechia or Pertusaria as hosts.