Flora of New Zealand Series

Description : Thallus pale yellowish green to greyish green, slightly to coarsely areolate, surface smooth or very slightly roughened, dull, without isidia or soredia. Apothecia verruciform, conspicuous, scattered or crowded and becoming confluent, concolorous with thallus, slightly flattened-hemispherical, not constricted at base, 0.5–1 mm diam.; ostioles conspicuous, pale, translucent, dull-yellow, 1 per verruca. Ascospores 2 per ascus, ellipsoidal, smooth or very slightly roughened, 80–125 × 30–45 μm.

Chemistry : K−, KC+ orange, C+ orange, Pd−; containing thiophaninic acid and stictic acid with traces of constictic acid and 2-chloro-6- O -methylnorlichexanthone (Archer & Elix 1994a: 212; Archer 1997: 150).

N: Northland (Tapotopotu Bay, Whangarei), Auckland (Rangitoto I.), South Auckland (Great Mercury I., Slipper I.). On mangroves (Avicennia marina). Also known from Australia, Lord Howe I. and Norfolk I. (Archer & Elix 1994b; Archer 1997, 2004a: 164–165; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Australasian

Illustration : Archer (1997: 154, fig. 56).

Pertusaria thiospoda is characterised by: the corticolous habit; 2-spored asci, conspicuous translucent ostioles; and the presence of thiophaninic and stictic acids. The New Zealand record of Pertusaria melaleuca var. heterochroa (Müll.Arg.) Stirt., from Rangitoto I. (Zahlbruckner 1941: 331) is referable to P. thiospoda.