Flora of New Zealand Series

Description : Thallus epilithic, green-black to black, smooth, filmy, continuous to irregularly rimose. Perithecia black, compound, numerous, ±superficial, hemispherical to subglobose (0.25–)0.32(–0.38) mm diam. Ostiole in an apical depression 20–40 μm wide. Involucrellum 30–40 μm thick, extending down to exciple-base level. Exciple 10–20 μm thick, colourless to pale-brown at base, dark-brown near ostiole. Ascospores ellipsoidal to subglobose, (11.2–)14(–16.8) × (6.5–)7.6(–8.8) μm.

S: Otago (Cornish Head Waikouaiti). On coastal calcareous sandstone boulders among barnacles. Also in Australia, Taiwan and NW Europe (McCarthy 1991b; 2001j: 188; 2003c; Aptroot 2003a).

Cosmopolitan

Illustration : McCarthy (1991b: 331, fig. 8E–G).

Verrucaria microsporoides is commonly referred to V. halizoa as a large-spored form. However, McCarthy (1991e) has shown that there is scarcely any overlap in the spore length of the two taxa, and that thalli of V. microsporoides are invariably darker.