Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Sticta aurata Ach. Methodus : 277 (1803). 

Descriptions : Flora (1985: 427). See also Galloway (1998c: 68–69) and Galloway et al. (2001b: 51–52).

Chemistry : Pulvinic acid, pulvinic dilactone, calycin, 3β-acetoxyfern-9(11)-en-one, 3β-acetoxyfern-9(11)-en-12β-ol, fern-9(11)-ene-3β,12β-diol, 3β-acetoxyfern-9(11)-en-19β-ol, 3β-hydroxyfern-9(11)-en-12-one, and lupeol acetate.

K: (Raoul I.). N: Northland (Three Kings Is, Cavalli Is, Mangonui, Bay of Islands, Whangarei, Tokatoka, Poor Knights Is, Hen & Chickens Is, Great Barrier I., Cuvier I.), Auckland (Waitakere Ra., Rangitoto I., Auckland City). South Auckland (Coromandel Peninsula, Great Mercury I., Red Mercury I., Shoe I., Slipper I., Whale I., Rabbit I.), Gisborne , Hawke's Bay , Wellington. S: Nelson [map in Galloway (1988a: 71, fig. 22)]. On bark and twigs of northern coastal trees and shrubs in forest, on wayside trees in grassland, and maritime rocks. A photophilous species known from the following phorophytes: Avicennia marina var. resinifera, Coprosma macrocarpa, C. rhamnoides, Cordyline australis, C. kaspar, Corynocarpus laevigatus, Gaultheria antipoda, Griselinia litoralis, Kunzea ericoides, Leptospermum scoparium, Litsaea calicaris, Melicytus ramiflorus, Metrosideros excelsa, Myrtus bullata and Sphaeropteris medullaris. Known also from Great Britain, the western seaboard of France, Macaronesia, St Helena, and widespread in the tropics, in Africa, India, Asia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hawai'i, Australia and South America (Galloway 1988a: 68–70; 1992c, 1994b; Galloway & Arvidsson 1990; Galloway et al. 2001b; Aptroot 2002e; Coppins 2002b; Wolseley et al. 2002; McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Galloway & James (1980: 292, fig. 1); Hayward & Hayward (1983: 203, fig. 2a); Galloway & James (1986: 448–449, fig. 6B – as Sticta angustata; 454–455, fig. 9B – as Sticta aurata var. armoriaca; 457–457, fig. 10B – as Sticta aurata var. glaucescente); Galloway (1988a: 68, fig. 21); Goward et al. (1994b: 119, fig. 5B); Brodo et al. (2001: 594, pl. 717); Dobson (2005: 369).

Pseudocyphellaria aurata is characterised by: a yellow medulla; a green photobiont; yellow pseudocyphellae on the lower surface; prominent marginal, labriform soralia that often erode back the lower surface and contain coarse, granular, yellow soredia; rather rare submarginal and distinctly pedicellate apothecia, with an exciple concolorous with thallus and ragged, yellow-sorediate margins. It may be parasitised by the lichenicolous fungus * Arthonia stictaria (q.v.).