Flora of New Zealand Series

Thallus dimorphic. Primary thallus crustose, granular or subsquamulose, spreading, green to grey-green. Pseudopodetia to 2.5 cm tall, often very short, terete, hollow, often fissured, 1-1.5 mm diam., often 2-4 branched at apices. Surface granular, of ± dispersed areolae. Photobiont green, Trebouxia. Cephalodia present, containing Nostoc or Stigonema. Apothecia terminal at apices of pseudopodetia, disc black or brown-black, ± globular to conglomerate when mature. Ascospores colourless, simple, elongate-ellipsoid, 8 per ascus. Pycnidia frequent, black, bottle-shaped, at apices of sterile pseudopodetia or on primary thallus.

Pilophorus is a genus of cosmopolitan, mainly temperate lichens included in the family Stereocaulaceae. Eleven species are known, mainly from the Northern Hemisphere [Jahns Lichenologist 4: 199-213 (1970); Mycotaxon 13: 289-330 (1981)]. One named species occurs in New Zealand, although it differs in several respects from Northern Hemisphere members of the genus. Most noticeably it lacks cephalodia, and is possibly referable to a separate genus. This species which is corticolous and muscicolous occurs widely throughout New Zealand (it occurs also in Tasmania and eastern Australia). A related, undescribed taxon is known from quartzite sand on the Denniston Plateau, Nelson.