Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : Ocellularia obturata (Ach.) Spreng. [=Thelotrema obturatum Ach.]

Descriptions : Flora (1985: 320). See also Frisch (2006: 187–198).

Ocellularia is the largest and most homogeneous group in the family Thelotremataceae (Hale 1974a, 1980, 1981; Nargarkar et al. 1986, 1988; Awasthi 1991; Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005; Frisch 2006; Frisch & Kalb 2006b; Frisch et al. 2006) and comprises c. 200 species (Kirk et al. 2001) mainly from tropical regions and being especially well-known and studied in the Indian subcontinent (Patwardhan & Kulkarni 1977a, 1977b; Patwardhan et al. 1985; Hale 1981; Nagarkar et al. 1986, 1988; Awasthi 1991). Fifteen new species from SE Asia were recently described by Homchantra & Coppins (2002). A fused, carbonised exciple is characteristic of the genus and is readily seen when apothecia are sectioned, and in addition, species of Ocellularia do not have periphysoids (Hale 1980, 1981; Matsumoto 2000). Pycnidia are Umbilicaria -type with type-V conidiophores (Vobis 1980), and bacillar conidia (Matsumoto & Deguchi 1999). A recent treatment of the family Thelotremataceae in Africa gives an excellent modern account of Ocellularia and related genera (Frisch 2006: 186-271) and is strongly recommended as essential reading for any future work on Ocellularia in New Zealand. Four species are recorded from New Zealand (Stirton 1875b; Nylander 1888; Nagarkar et al. 1986; Sherwood-Pike 1987).