Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lecidea hypomelina Stirt., Proc. phil. Soc. Glasgow 10: 305 (1877).

=Megalospora dispora C.Knight, Trans. N. Z. Inst. 12: 378 (1880).

=Lecidea concordans Nyl., Lich. Nov. Zel.: 108 (1888).

Holotype: New Zealand. Wellington, J. Buchanan – GLAM

Megalospora dispora : Holotype: New Zealand. Sine loco [probably Wellington], Charles Knight 305 – WELT Herb. Knight Vol. 53A, p. 4.

Lecidea concordans. Holotype: New Zealand. Westland, Greymouth, 1886. Richard Helms 236 – H-NYL 10903.

Description : Flora (1985: 298)

N: Wellington. S: Nelson (Cobb Lake, Inangahua Junction, Rahu Saddle), Westland (Greymouth), Canterbury (Porters Pass, on Dracophyllum), Southland (Cascade Creek, on Halocarpus bidwillii). On bark of trees and shrubs.

Endemic

Illustrations : Knight (1880: pl.XIII, fig. 47 – as Megalospora dispora); Malcolm & Galloway (1997: 123); Malcolm & Malcolm (2000: 127).

Mycoblastus hypomelinus is characterised by: the corticolous habit; a grey or glaucous-grey, to whitish, areolate or continuous thin thallus delimited by a thick prothalline line; black or brown-black sessile to subpedicellate, immarginate apothecia, 0.1–0.6(–1) mm diam.; a blue-black epithecium; a bluish hypothecium; and broadly ellipsoidal, thick-walled ascospores, 34–46(–50) × 22–28(–35) μm when 2 per ascus. Ascospores larger, 80–90 × 35–40 μm when only 1 per ascus.