Thysanothecium hookeri Mont. & Berk.
Primary thallus squamulose, squamules decidedly convex, in hummocks, 0.5-2.0 mm diam., scattered, singly or 2-3-confluent, closely attached, to ± subascending, margins entire, crenate or slightly incised to ± ascending, often noticeably thickened, coriaceous, yellow-green to yellow-brown or red-brown, matt or shining, sometimes faintly maculate (×10 lens), whitish below, terricolous. Pseudopodetia arising from extension of whole primary squamule, squamules rarely ascending base of pseudopodetia, 1.5-4 mm wide at base, flaring to 3-9 mm wide at apices, ± terete at base, flaring and flattening, becoming leaf-like, paddle-shaped or fan-shaped or pectinate towards apices, often lacerate, incised or fissured, 0.5-10(-15) mm tall. Cortex ± continuous, yellowish-green to ± olive, matt, scabrid at margins of dorsal surface below apothecia, conspicuously ribbed-striate, nerve-like ridges glossy, elsewhere matt, occasionally longitudinally white-striate or minutely fissured, but without exposing corticate granules from medulla. Apothecia terminal, concave and marginate at first, becoming immarginate at maturity, flaring, undulate and often deeply lacerate, spathulate or pectinate, at maturity disc dark red-brown or purplish-brown, matt sometimes finely white-pruinose in parts, smooth or ± areolate-bullate or plicate-uneven, margins at maturity distinctly turned under forming a thin ridge on dorsal surface. Ascospores ellipsoid or subclavate, straight or slightly curved, 7-8 × 3 µm. Pycnidia marginal on squamules, minute, black, cylindrical to bottle-shaped with a terminal, gaping ostiole 0.05 mm diam. Conidia not seen. Chemistry: Cortex and medulla K-, C-, KC-, Pd-. Barbatic, 4-O-demethylbarbatic and usnic acids.
N: North Auckland (Ahipara, gumfield plateau). S: Nelson (Puponga, near Farewell Spit). On sandy soil s.l. to 200 m, coastal, rarely collected.
Australasian
T. hookeri until its recent discovery in New Zealand by J.K. Bartlett (1979, 1980) was presumed an endemic Australian species occurring most commonly on the surface of termite nests in Western Australia. It is distinguished from the related T. scutellatum by the structure and morphology of the primary thallus, the nature of the cortex of the pseudopodetia, the morphology of the mature apothecia and by chemistry.
