Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecanora cinnabarina Ach., Lichenogr. universalis: 402 (1810).

Description : Flora (1985: 64).

Chemistry : Thallus and apothecial discs K+ red-violet; containing emodin, parietin, xanthorin, fallacinal and parietinic acid (Santesson 1970: 2152).

N: Hawke's Bay (Kaweka Ra.). S: Canterbury (Porters Pass), Otago (Lake Wakatipu, Nenthorn) E of the Main Divide on exposed, sunny, alpine or subalpine rocks. St: Associating with Aspicilia spp., Candelariella vitellina, Immersaria athroocarpa, Ramboldia petraoides, Rhizocarpon (yellow) and Xanthoparmelia spp. Known also from the southern USA, Mexico, the Caribbean, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, China, Hawai'i, Argentina and Australia (Kärnefelt 1988a, 1988b, 2003 [347, fig. 4]; Awasthi 1991; Poelt & Hinteregger 1993 – as Caloplaca holochracea; Esslinger & Egan 1995; Elix & McCarthy 1998; Wetmore & Kärnefelt 1999; Calvelo & Liberatore 2001; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Becker 2002).

Cosmopolitan

Illustration : Wetmore & Kärnefelt (1999: 685, fig. 2).

Caloplaca cinnabarina is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the continuous, orange-red, smooth or areolate thallus, abruptly delimited at margins and without marginal lobules; apothecia that are at first immersed, becoming sessile later in their development; and oblong-ellipsoidal ascospores, 8–10(–12) × 3.5–5(–6.5) μm and a septum ⅓ the length of the spore. The species is discussed in detail by Wetmore & Kärnefelt (1999: 687–688), and by Kärnefelt (2003: 344–345). C. cinnabarina is distinguished from C. rubelliana by the colour of the apothecial discs (C. rubelliana has a scarlet-red disc, C. cinnabarina has orange discs) and by the colour and margin of the thallus, C. rubelliana has a greyish to brownish thallus with margins gradually fading away to nothing, whereas the thallus margins in C. cinnabarina end abruptly with no thinning.