Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecidea leucothalamia Nyl., Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 9: 255 (1866).

≡Patellaria leucothalamia (Nyl.) Müll.Arg., Bull. Herb. Boissier 2, App. 1: 68 (1894).

=Lecidea leucothalamia var. melachroa Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 94 (1888).

≡Bacidia leucothalamia f. melachroa (Nyl.) Zahlbr., Cat. lich. univ. 4 (2): 214 (1926).

=Lecidea permutata Stirt., Proc. phil. Soc. Glasgow10: 299 (1877).

≡Patellaria permutata (Stirt.) Müll.Arg., Bull, Herb. Boissier 2, App. 1: 63 (1894).

≡Bacidia permutata (Stirt.) Hellb., Bihang K. Sv. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 21 (3/13): 101 (1896).

Holotype: New Zealand. On dead trees, Saddlehill near Dunedin, October 1861, Dr Lauder Lindsay – H-NYL 17074. Isotype – E [Lindsay's material in E was erroneously designated as lectotype (Galloway (1985a: 32)].

Lecidea leucothalamia var. melachroa. Holotype: New Zealand. On dead trees, Saddlehill near Dunedin, Otago, October 1861, Dr Lauder Lindsay – H-NYL 17073.

Lecidea permutata. Lectotype: New Zealand. Near Wellington, viii.1876, J. Buchanan 401, 4/76 – BM [fide Galloway (1985a: 32)].

Description : Flora (1985: 32).

N: Wellington. S: Otago (Dunedin). Apparently lowland and coastal on trees and shrubs. Still very poorly known.

Endemic

Bacidia leucothalamia is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the pale glaucous-grey or buff, granular-roughened to minutely verrucose-cracked thallus; sessile, pale grey-white to somewhat blackened, delicately pruinose apothecia; a red-brown to brown-black hypothecium; and acicular, 7-septate ascospores, (30–)40–50 × 1.5–3.5 μm.