Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecidea hybrida Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien. Math.-Naturwiss. Kl. 104: 304 (1941).

Holotype: New Zealand. South I., Canterbury, Castle Hill Basin, on exposed limestone outcrops in tussock grassland, 600 m, 17.viii.1935, H.H. Allan A 18 – W. Isotypes – BM, CHR 347053.

Description : Flora (1985: 233 – as Lecidea hybrida).

S: Canterbury (Castle Hill, Cave Stream, Flock Hill). On limestone rock outcrops in grassland among scattered Discaria toumatou. A rather rarely collected monospecific endemic that should be looked for more widely on basicolous (especially limestone) substrata.

Endemic

Exsiccati : Hertel (1985a: No. 158).

Rhizolecia hybrida is characterised by: the saxicolous (limestone rocks) habit; the thick, white, tartareous, rounded to irregularly spreading thallus; the innate, rounded apothecia with a black disc (commonly grey-white-pruinose) surrounded by a thin collar of white, thalline tissue; a thick brown-black hypothecium; and simple, ellipsoidal ascospores, 12–15.5. × 7–8.5 μm. It is superficially similar to Diplotomma alboatrum and the two taxa are sympatric in this habitat in New Zealand, but the ascospores immediately indicate the correct genus.