Lichens A-Pac (2007) - Flora of New Zealand Lichens - Revised Second Edition A-Pac
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Menegazzia A.Massal.

MENEGAZZIA A.Massal., 1854

Type : Menegazzia terebrata (Hoffm.) A.Massal. [=Lobaria terebrata Hoffm.]

Descriptions : Flora (1985: 274–275). See also James & Galloway (1992: 214).

Key

1
Thallus with isidia or soredia, apothecia rare or absent
2
Thallus without isidia or soredia, apothecia often present
11
2
Thallus with laminal perforations, sparse to numerous; sorediate
3
Thallus without laminal perforations; isidiate, isidia elongate and ±spathulate, often decumbent
3
Thallus grey, green or brown, without usnic acid; soralia not vesicular; medulla C−
4
Thallus yellow-green (usnic acid in cortex); soralia vesicular; medulla C+red
4
Thallus pale-grey or green; soralia regular; soredia fine, powdery
5
Thallus dark olive-brown; soralia irregular, coarse, pustulate; soredia granular
5
Lobes wider than 1 mm; lobe ends not or indistinctly white-maculate; soralia superficial, not developing from edges of blister-like vesicles
6
Lobes narrow (0.5–0.8 mm wide); lobe ends ±white-maculate; soralia granular, developed along edges of laminal, ruptured, blister-like vesicles
6
Medulla UV− or + orange. Pd+ orange, KC+ orange
7
Medulla UV+ vivid ice-blue, Pd−, KC+ pink
7
Upper side of medulla white; UV−; ends of lobes emaculate
8
Upper side of medulla pigmented, ±ochre-yellow; UV+ orange; lobe ends faintly white-maculate
8
Soralia arising from edges of perforations
9
Soralia not associated with perforations
10
9
Soralia on recurved, flange-like extensions of margins of perforations; lobes extremely fragile; medulla K− (fatty acids present)
Soralia around margins of perforations but not on flange-like extensions; lobes robust; medulla K+ orange (stictic acid chemosyndrome present)
10
Stictic acid chemosyndrome present
Fumarprotocetraric acid present
11
Saxicolous or terricolous/muscicolous
12
Corticolous
13
12
Saxicolous, closely appressed, lobes regularly orbicular; thallus dark brown-black or olive-greenish
Terricolous or muscicolous, entangled in basal branches of subalpine shrubs or tussocks, loosely attached, straggling, irregularly branched and entangled, tubular-inflated; thallus white or spotted or banded black
13
Apothecial margins brown or concolorous with thallus, never orange-red; K+ orange (no crystals) or K−
14
Apothecial margins bright orange-red (K+ purple-black); medulla K+ red (crystals)
14
Upper side of medullary cavity yellow or ochre-yellow; UV+ yellow or orange; ascospores 8 per ascus
15
Upper side of medullary cavity not pigmented; UV−; ascospores 2 or 8 per ascus
16
15
Upper side of medullary cavity ochre-yellow; UV+ orange; lobe ends faintly white-maculate
Upper side of medullary cavity yellow; UV+ yellow; lobe ends uniformly grey
16
Medulla UV−; KC+ yellow-orange or −; ascospores 2 or 8 per ascus
17
Medulla UV+ ice-blue; KC+ pink; ascospores 2 per ascus
17
Apothecia epruinose; medulla K+ yellow→orange or −, Pd+ yellow→orange or −
18
Apothecia (at least when young) with white-pruinose discs; medulla K+ yellow, Pd+ yellow
18
Apothecia sessile to subpedicellate; exciple smooth; perforations <1 mm diam.; medulla K+ yellow→orange, Pd+ orange
19
Apothecia pedicellate, exciple scabrid; perforations often large (to 1.5 mm diam.), gaping, margins involute; medulla K−, Pd−
19
Thallus swollen, often almost terete, not congested; lobes often zigzag radiating, greenish or grey-green; perforations conical
20
Thallus congested–convolute, dark red-brown, perforations depressed
20
Asci 8-spored; norstictic acid present (K+ yellow→red)
Asci 2-spored; stictic acid aggregate present (K+ yellow→orange)

Menegazzia, included in the family Parmeliaceae (Thell et al. 1995; Crespo & Cubero 1998; Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005) comprises c. 70 species and it forms a particular and conspicuous element in the lichen mycobiotas of temperate and montane habitats in the Southern Hemisphere, with only six species being known from the Northern Hemisphere (Bitter 1901; Räsänen 1932; Santesson 1942; James in Galloway 1985a; James & Galloway 1992; Calvelo & Adler 1994; Adler & Calvelo 1996; Calvelo 1998; Bjerke 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004a, 2004b, 2004c, 2005; Bjerke & Elvebakk 2001; James et al. 2001; Bernasconi et al. 2002; Aptroot et al. 2003a; Bjerke et al. 2003; Kantvilas & Louwhoff 2004; Thell et al. 2004; Bjerke & Obermayer 2005). Menegazzia is characterised by: a foliose, and generally inflated thallus; the upper surface having prominent holes (a small number of species are isidiate and lack perforations); a black, white or sometimes pigmented medullary cavity; a naked, black lower surface; prominent, sessile to elevated, cupular, lecanorine apothecia; netted paraphyses; 2-spored or 8-spored asci containing thick-walled ascospores; immersed, punctiform pycnidia with short, bacillar conidia; and a diverse secondary chemistry of depsidones, fatty acids and pigments. It is recognised that up to 10 species remain to be described from the Southern Hemisphere with several of these known from New Zealand, where the genus is often extremely common as a dominant epiphyte in Nothofagus forests E of the Main Divide in the Southern Alps. The present account records 20 species, but in the light of recent work on Tasmanian and South American populations (see above), it is recognised that New Zealand's Menegazzia mycobiota is more complex than this. A detailed regional monograph is thus an urgent necessity.

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