Pyrenula deliquescens (C.Knight) Müll.Arg.
Verrucaria deliquescens Knight, Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 23: 100 (1860).
V. astata Knight, T.N.Z.I. 8: 325 (1876).
Pyrenula consociata Zahlbr., Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien math.-naturwiss. Kl. 104: 255 (1941).
Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco (?Auckland). Charles Knight 232, BM!
Verrucaria astata. Lectotype: New Zealand. Sine loco. Charles Knight, BM!
P. consociata. Lectotype: New Zealand. Otago, Mt Cargill near Dunedin, on Coprosma propinqua c. 400 m. J.S. Thomson (T2081) W77, CHR 379999!
Thallus epiphloeodal, in broad bands, or patches, 2-8(-10) cm diam., continuous, smooth or slightly roughened, glossy to ± dull, minutely and irregularly cracked or ± minutely areolate-cracked, often with minute white dots (×10 lens), yellow-brown or pale olivaceous-yellowish sometimes ± eroded in parts, delimited at margins by an irregular, black line. Perithecia scattered, emergent, solitary to 3-5-confluent, 0.5-1.5 mm diam., flattened, applanate to subglobose, rounded, black, shining, often covered with a layer of cortical cells at first, eroding with age leaving shallow to deep pits. Ostiole central, punctate or gaping, 0.05 mm diam., whitish-grey to brownish. Pycnidia few to many, minute, black, punctate. Ascospores ovoid-oblong with pointed or rounded ends, 4-locular 17-20(-24) × 7-10 µm. Chemistry: UV+ faint blue (2 spots).
N: Auckland to Wellington. S: Otago, Waitati, Mt Cargill, Dunedin. On bark of trees and shrubs (Coprosma, Suttonia etc.) in light forest, also on Crataegus bark.
Endemic
A widespread species in New Zealand, although as in all taxa in the genus, still very poorly collected and understood. Knight [ Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 23: 100 (1860)] in his account of New Zealand species of Verrucaria, incorrectly illustrated 1-septate spores for his taxon V. deliquescens. It seems likely that he mistook immature asci for ascospores in this species.
