Flora of New Zealand Series

Holotype: New Zealand. Wellington, Rangitikei Gorge, on Leptospermum, 17.vi.1980, J.K. Bartlett – BM. Isotype – ?AK.

Description : Flora (1985: 288–289).

Chemistry : Cortex K+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow-orange, C−, KC+ orange, Pd+ orange; containing atranorin, chloroatranorin, stictic (major), constictic (minor), norstictic (tr.) and cryptostictic (tr.) acids.

N: Taupo to Wellington (Browns Track). S: Nelson to Southland, mainly E of the Main Divide in drier, lowland and coastal habitats, occasionally inland, on both introduced and native vegetation, fenceposts and gates, and rocks, s.l. to 1525 m. St: (Port William, Halfmoon Bay, The Neck, Glory Cove, Wilson Bay, Port Pegasus) A: C: M: Widely distributed and probably the most commonly collected sorediate species in the genus. Known also from eastern Australia (James & Galloway 1992: 244; McCarthy 2003c, 2006), and recently also from Chile and Staten I. (Argentina) (Bjerke et al. 2003: 90–91); and from Maquarie I. (Bjerke 2004a).

Austral

Illustrations : Martin & Child (1972: 80, pl. 13); James & Galloway (1992: 243, fig. 89B); Kantvilas & Jarman (1999: 87).

Exsiccati : Elix (1986: No. 110).

Menegazzia subpertusa is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the neat, shortly radiating thallus rosettes with individual lobes ±discrete from margins to centre; 2-spored asci; roughened–wrinkled upper surface; soredia not associated with perforations; and stictic acid in the medulla. It resembles the predominantly Northern Hemisphere species M. terebrata (Hoffm.) Massal., but this latter species has a smoother thallus surface and the morphology of the soralia is different.