Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Caloplaca L.B. Moorii Zahlbr., Denskchr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 365 (1941).

Lectotype: New Zealand. Northland, Mahurangi River on Avicennia resinifera, 3.vi.1934, L.B. Moore ZA 62A – CHR 373803 [fide Galloway (1985a: 68)]. [CHR 241722 is annotated by Lucy Moore "Mahurangi River, mangrove. Older tree also near bank of main river. Parts of trunk still with thick incrustation from cement works. 3/6/34, L.B.M"].

Description : Thallus granular-furfuraceous, greyish yellow, greenish or yellowish white, in a diffract-areolate, sorediate crust, areolae to 1 mm diam, separated by deep cracks, or sometimes reduced to a few scattered granules or verrucae, always with some distinct spotting of yellow or orange, K+ reddish purple. Apothecia scattered or crowded, sessile, rounded to contorted through mutual pressure, disc plane to subconvex to subglobose, 0.2–1.2(–2) mm diam., orange, matt; thalline margin soon disappearing, consisting of a collar of sorediate granules concolorous with thallus, bordering disc; proper margin persistent, thin, yellow, slightly raised, entire to minutely crenulate. Epithecium yellow, densely granular, 8–16 μm thick. Hymenium colourless, without oil droplets, 65–75 μm tall. Paraphyses slender, 1–2 μm wide, apices swollen, to 5 μm diam, occasionally furcate. Asci cylindrical, 55–65 × 12–15 μm, 8-spored. Ascospores biseriate in ascus, ellipsoidal to oblong-ellipsoidal, apices slightly pointed, (12–)15–18(–20) × (3.5–)5–7(–8.2) μm; septum 5–8 μm thick, ⅓ to ½ length of spore.

Chemistry : Thallus containing parietin.

N: Northland to Wellington. S: Canterbury (Christchurch), Otago (Oamaru, Woodhaugh Gardens Dunedin). On bark of Avicennia, Hoheria angustifolia, Plagianthus regius, and introduced trees or shubs such as Lycium ferocissimum and walnut. Associating with the lichens Hyperphyscia plinthiza, Lecanora dispersa, Physcia adscendens, Xanthoria parietina. Known also from Norfolk I. (McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Australasian

Caloplaca mooreae is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the granular-furfuraceous, sorediate thallus; ellipsoidal ascospores, 15–18 × 3.5–8.2 μm, with a thick septum, ⅓ to ½ length of spore.