Flora of New Zealand Series

=Lecanora flavopallescens C.Knight, Trans. N. Z. Inst. 7: 362 (1875).

=Lecanora symmictoides Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 64 (1888).

=Lecidea aucklandica var. planata Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 311 (1941).

=Lecidea (Biatora) fineranii C.W.Dodge in B.A. Fineran, Trans. Roy. Soc. N. Z. (Bot.) 3 (17): 248 (1969).

=Ionaspis neozelandica C.W.Dodge, Nova Hedwigia 19: 458 (1971)["1970"].

Lectotype: New Zealand. Near Wellington, rec'd 14.v.1873, J. Buchanan 82d – BM [fide Galloway (1985a: 216)]. Isolectotypes – WELT.

Lecanora flavopallescens. Isotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], Charles Knight – BM.

Lecanora symmyctoides. Holotype: Nova Zelandia [New Zealand]. Sine loco [probably Wellington], 1867, Charles Knight 65 – H-NYL 3133. Isotype – WELT.

Lecidea aucklandica var. planata. Lectotype: New Zealand. Auckland. Rangitoto I., on Senecio kirkii, H.H. Allan [ZA 75] – CHR 347014.

Lecidea (Biatora) fineranii. Holotype: New Zealand. Snares Is, on trunk of Olearia lyallii, 7.ii.1961, B.A. Fineran 117 – CANU.

Ionaspis neozelandica. Holotype: New Zealand. [Stewart I.] Mutton Bird Islets, Tuakiepa [Long] I., Mt Onion, on twigs in heathland, ii–iii.1965, B.A. Fineran 308c – FH.

Descriptions : Flora (1985: 216); Guderley et al. (1998: 106).

Chemistry : Thallus K+ yellow, C+ orange. Major compounds: Arthothelin and thiophanic acid; minor compounds: ±atranorin, ±chloroatranorin, asemone and 4,5-dichloronorlichexanthone (Guderley et al. 1998).

N:. Northland (Three Kings Is, Kaitaia, Cooper's Beach, Opua Bay of Islands, Whangarei, Great Barrier I.), Auckland (Anawhata, Rangitoto I., Auckland City), South Auckland (Motuhora I.), to Wellington. S: Nelson to Southland. St: (Port Pegasus, Broad Bay). Sn: Throughout, on bark of mainly coastal trees and shrubs and on lignum (especially fenceposts, power poles etc.), common and widespread. Also known in Australia from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia (Filson 1996; Guderley et al. 1998; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Lumbsch & Elix 2004).

Australasian

Ilustrations : Knight (1875a: pl. XXIII, fig. 15 – as Lecanora flavopallescens); Guderley et al. (1998: 104, figs 1–6; 105, figs 7–12).

Lecanora flavopallida is characterised by: the corticolous habit; the pale orange to brown-pink apothecial discs, which may or may not have a thin grey-white pruina; broadly ellipsoidal ascospores, 14–19 × 9–12 μm; the presence of chlorinated xanthones (C+ orange); almost biatorine apothecia; and filiform conidia, 13–22 × 0.5–1 μm. It is a distinctive species that is rarely confused with other species of Lecanora. At first sight it might be confused with a species of Bacidia, but is readily distinguished by the presence of non-septate ascospores. It is a rather variable species (hence the extensive synonymy), the variation being discussed in detail by Guderley et al. (1998).