Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Microglaena rosea Servít, Webbia 8: 419 (1952).

Description : Thallus 60–120 μm thick, dull, uneven, pale brownish grey, richly cracked, saxicolous. Perithecia numerous, 0.4–0.6 mm diam., semi-immersed, largely overgrown by thallus. A thick, pale involucrellum usually protrudes, while at the centre of the plane to subconcave apex is a pinkish grey to dark grey-brown ostiole that is ringed internally with short, stiff periphyses. Paraphyses unbranched. Hymenium I+ blue-green. Exciple c. 30 μm thick towards apex and 50–70 μm thick at base. Asci fissitunicate, 140–170 × 16–21 μm, 8-spored. Ascospores uniseriate, hyaline, thin-walled, ellipsoidal to subglobose, muriform, 19–27.5 × 11.5–17μm.

S: Nelson (Kaihoka Lakes). On calcareous sandstone. First record for New Zealand and Southern Hemisphere from a collection of the late John Bartlett – [AK 193118] (McCarthy 1993c:12). Known also from Italy and Greece (Jørgensen & Vězda 1984; Nimis 1993; Nimis & Martellos 2003) and from Lord Howe I. (McCarthy 2003c, 2006).

Cosmopolitan

Illustration : Jørgensen & Vězda (1984: 511, fig. 2A).

Topelia rosea is characterised by: the saxicolous (basicolous) habit; the thin, pale-brownish grey thallus; numerous semi-immersed perithecia; and thin-walled, hyaline, muriform ascospores, 19–27.5 × 11.5–17 μm.