Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Parmelia afrorevoluta Krog & Swinscow, Norw. J. Bot. 26: 22 (1979).

≡Hypotrachyna afrorevoluta (Krog & Swinscow) Krog & Swinscow, Lichenologist 19 (4): 429 (1987).

Description : Thallus loosely attached, 4–10 cm diam. Lobes sublinear, irregularly branched, 2–5 mm wide, central lobes often crowded–imbricate; marginal lobes often ascending and ±revolute; marginal cilia distinct, simple, to 1 mm long. Upper surface whitish to green-grey, glossy, emaculate, smooth, without isidia; cortex fragile, flaking, with blackened, eroded areas. Soralia pustulate, laminal and submarginal. Soredia granular. Medulla white. Lower surface glossy black, dark-brown marginally, rhizines sparse to numerous, simple or bifurcate, black. Apothecia rare, subpedicellate, 10–20 mm wide, disc concave, often radially split, thalline exciple wrinkled, patchily sorediate. Ascospores 16–20 × 10–14 μm. Pycnidia not seen.

Chemistry : Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K−, C+ rose, KC+ red, Pd−; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, gyrophoric acid (major), 5- O -methylhiascic acid (minor), umbilicaric acid (tr.), 2,4,5-tri- O -methylhiascic acid (tr.) and 4,5-di- O -methylhiascic acid (minor/tr.).

N: South Auckland (Rotorua), Gisborne (Urewera Nat. Park, Mahia Peninsula), Wellington (Otoko, Tongariro Nat. Park). S: Canterbury (Lees Valley; Banks Peninsula, Mt Sinclair, Carew's Peak); Southland (Tiwai Point). On bark of forest trees, and on shrubs, and on moist rocks in shaded, forest areas (Elix & Johnston 1991: 8–9). It has a wide pantropical to pantemperate distribution, but is absent from Europe (Elix 1994o; Louwhoff & Elix 2002b; McCarthy 2003c, 2006). Recently recorded from Gough I. in the South Atlantic Ocean (Elix & Gremmen 2002: 261).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Krog & Swinscow (1979: 23, fig. 5); Elix (1994o: 133, fig. 53A); Louwhoff & Elix (2002b: 125, fig. 67); Kantvilas et al. (2002: 126).

Parmelinopsis afrorevoluta is characterised by: the corticolous/saxicolous habit; the presence of simple cilia and laminal and submarginal pustulate soralia (with granular soredia), and by the medullary chemistry (see above).