Flora of New Zealand Series

=Verrucaria submargacea C.Knight, Trans. N. Z. Inst. 15: 355 (1883).

=Verrucaria lacrimans Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 249 (1941).

Verrucaria lacrimans. Type: New Zealand. Otago, Otago Heads near Dunedin, on coastal rock. J.S. Thomson T1015 [ZA 27] – W. Isotypes – CHR 373509, OTA 029230.

Verrucaria submargacea. Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], Charles Knight – WELT [fide Galloway (1985a: 608)].

Description : Thallus superficial, thin, medium to dark-brown (paler in shade), continuous to regularly areolate. Areolae flat, sometimes widely separated, dull and somewhat scabrid. Prothallus black, friable. Perithecia semi-immersed to sessile, 0.2–0.4 mm diam., often arising directly on prothallus, or semi-immersed in areolae. Involucrellum convex, brown-black extending beyond exciple, 40–60 μm thick near apex, 60–80 μm thick at base. Exciple 15–20 μm thick, brown-black. Ascospores 16–26 × 7–12 μm.

S: Nelson (Kaiteriteri), Marlborough (Kaikoura), Otago (Otago Harbour, Black Head near Dunedin, Akatore). On shaded maritime rocks of supralittoral zone. Also known from the Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Taiwan, and Tasmania (Hawksworth et al. 1992; McCarthy & Kantvilas 2000a; McCarthy 2001j: 183; 2003c; Coppins 2002b; Aptroot 2003a).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Knight (1883: pl. XXXVI, fig. 13 – as Verrucaria submargacea); Zschacke (1934: 304, fig. 14); McCarthy & Kantvilas (2000a: 32, fig. 1).

Verrucaria fusconigrescens is characterised by: the coastal rock habit; a brown thallus, which is regularly areolate and has a conspicuous, black marginal prothallus. It is superficially similar to V. nigrescens, which grows on calcareous rocks away from the seashore, and which generally lacks the black prothallus, and has ½–¾ immersed, non-sessile perithecia (Hawksworth et al. 1992).